‘My hands are empty’: Displaced Palestinians struggle to survive

Hakim Mar’i, who sustained a severe leg injury while working as a labourer inside Israel in 2019 and was later beaten during his family’s forced removal from Tulkarem camp, now lies in a cramped apartment with his injured leg raised and windows covered with blankets because the family cannot afford electricity. Unable to work or pay for treatment for his infected wound and other health conditions, Mar’i has accrued debts at local shops and has moved four times since January 2025. His four children, all under 15, sometimes rely on neighbours for food. The Mar’i family’s experience mirrors that of tens of thousands of Palestinians uprooted when Israeli forces emptied the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarem camps in early 2025. UNRWA calls the operation the largest single episode of forced displacement in the West Bank since 1967. The agency’s director for West Bank affairs, Roland Friedrich, described the level of destruction as “severe and unprecedented” and said closed military zone orders that are renewed every two months continue to bar people from returning. UN satellite imagery indicates that 20% of buildings across the three camps were destroyed and another 28% damaged. UNRWA reports that 85% of those displaced have no regular income after losing jobs when the camps were emptied, and more than 80% are now renting — a new expense for many families who previously lived in the camps without paying rent or utilities. Funding shortfalls have forced UNRWA to move to a “targeted approach,” reducing assistance while trying to keep schools and basic health clinics operating. UNRWA staff and displaced families warn of widening humanitarian and social impacts: rising debt, increased reports of gender-based violence linked to economic strain, and elevated levels of depression and anxiety among children. The Israeli military describes the evacuations as measures for “operational security” aimed at rooting out fighters; UNRWA officials say the operations and the continued restrictions risk permanently altering the physical and demographic character of the refugee issue. With no clear return plan and shrinking support, many displaced families describe feeling abandoned and unable to rebuild their homes or lives.