MSF warns of mass forced displacement in the West Bank

The organization stressed that it is witnessing policies and practices “blatantly designed to expel Palestinians from their land and prevent any possibility of return.”

In a statement, MSF said that the suffering caused by the occupation has become more normalized than ever in its 36 years of work in Palestine.

It added that 2025 has seen an escalation of these practices, calling on countries with close ties to Israel, such as the United States and the European Union, to exert serious pressure to stop the violations and ensure an end to the occupation.

In this context, Simona Onidi, MSF project coordinator in Jenin and Tulkarem, said, “In recent years, we have witnessed increasing control and excessive force by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians, culminating in the genocide in Gaza, alongside military repression and settler violence in the West Bank.”

She added that these practices are “deeply rooted in the broader process of settler colonialism, which heightens the risk of ethnic cleansing and demographic change.”

The statement noted that the recently approved E1 settlement plan would split the West Bank entirely, cutting off the north from the south and isolating East Al-Quds from the rest of the territory, describing it as “one of the clearest attempts to kill any prospect of a Palestinian future (state).”

MSF pointed out that Zionist regime’s ongoing military operation since the beginning of the year, named “Iron Wall,” has displaced about 40,000 people in the northern West Bank, according to UNRWA figures. It said three refugee camps had been stormed and forcibly evacuated, while homes and civilian infrastructure, including schools and health centers, were destroyed.

The organization added that its teams have deployed mobile clinics in 42 sites across Tulkarem and Jenin, including Ministry of Health facilities, and distributed essential relief supplies to the displaced.

It noted that ongoing demolitions since January 2023 have displaced 6,450 Palestinians, including at least 246 people in al-Khalil governorate during April and May 2025, nearly half of them children.

MSF quoted Warda, a resident of al-Khalil, as saying, “This wasn’t the first demolition, but it was the harshest. We asked to take our belongings out before the demolition, but they (Israeli soldiers) refused, threw our things outside, and then destroyed them with a bulldozer.” The statement stressed that this was “only a small part of the total demolitions in the West Bank.”

The organization said that settler attacks are often carried out with total impunity, under army protection, and since the beginning of 2023 have displaced 2,900 Palestinians.

Since June 2025, villages in Masafer Yatta have been subjected to daily attacks and military raids. An MSF assessment of 197 families in al-Khalil found that households where one member had experienced violence were two and a half times more likely to suffer from severe psychological distress.

The organization also warned of increasing restrictions on freedom of movement, noting that 36 new checkpoints were established between December 2024 and February 2025, and the number of temporary checkpoints rose from 116 to 370 between late 2023 and mid-2025. These restrictions prevent Palestinians from reaching hospitals, schools, and workplaces, forcing many to rely on mobile clinics.

It explained that attacks on water sources have worsened the crisis, with al-Khalil governorate experiencing a more than 50% drop in public water supply since May 2025, due in part to settlers cutting pipes in some villages.

MSF reported that 800,000 people have been affected, including half the population of villages in the south al-Khalil hills. In response, its teams delivered 30 water tanks to families in the area.

The statement stressed that Palestinian livelihoods are increasingly threatened by the revocation of work permits, movement restrictions, and assaults on farmland and livestock herders. One resident of Masafer Yatta was quoted as saying, “It’s not just that they demolish our homes; they take our land and prevent us from earning a living through farming and herding, making our survival here impossible.”

MSF concluded by emphasizing that Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank, based on land annexation, constitute “serious violations of international humanitarian law.”