Israeli forces have detained 11 Palestinians, including women, after dozens returned to Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Saturday to check on their homes and retrieve belongings.
The detentions came as around 30 Palestinians entered the camp despite ongoing Israeli military restrictions, which designate the area a “closed military zone” and have prevented residents from returning since January 2025.
Israeli Army Radio described the return of civilians to the camp as a “dangerous incident”, referring to it as an “infiltration” or “breach”.
It reported that an Israeli force composed of reservists, which maintains a permanent presence in the camp, detected what it called an “infiltration attempt” and deployed a drone for surveillance before detaining several of those who had entered.
The report emphasised that those detained were “unarmed”.
Israeli army estimates suggested that around 20 other Palestinians remained inside the camp and had not been immediately detained.
In response, Israeli forces sent reinforcements to conduct search operations and deployed Border Police units to follow what was described as an “ongoing incident”.
Jenin refugee camp has been under Israeli military control for months, with residents barred from returning to their homes following large-scale operations earlier this year.
Human Rights Watch previously said that Israel’s displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians from refugee camps in the occupied West Bank in early 2025 could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, calling for urgent international measures to hold Israeli officials accountable and prevent further violations.
HRW said Israeli forces forcibly displaced around 32,000 residents from the camps of Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams during “Operation Iron Wall” in January and February 2025.
