On Augustus 5, 2026, at 02:40, dozens of military vehicles stormed Qalandia camp, carrying boxes, equipment and maps. The Israeli forces stormed raided and searched a number of homes and the headquarters of the Popular Committee, occupied a house and turned it into a military point, detained a number of citizens, and released them after conducting a field investigation with them.

The Israeli soldiers distributed leaflets stating that “a large-scale operation” in the camp was under way.

Israeli forces deployed heavily inside the camp and carried out house-to-house raids. Israeli army had arrested at least 20 people including a woman. They kept 3 detainees: Al-Askari - Ghassan Al-Khatib, Al-Askari - Adham Naeem Badran, and Muhammad Karim Abu Latifa. Among them, 2 soldiers from The National Security and Customs Police.

They also demolished a vehicle wash on Airport Street, owned by the citizen Rabie Hamad - resident of Qalandia camp, under the pretext of not having a license.

At noon on 05. 08. 2026, the soldiers forces fired stun grenades and tear gas towards citizens and journalists, in an attempt to obstruct media coverage.

They beat 2 citizens (one of whom was the journalist Muhammad Sumrin) while he was covering the raid and fired stun grenades at other journalists.

They took up positions on residents' roofs after forcibly removed several residents from their homes. They occupied a house owned by a citizen of the Mansour family, and turned it into a military point.

Footage posted by Quds shows several Israeli soldiers aggressively confronting a Palestinian man, who appears to be unarmed, before tackling him to the ground while pointing assault rifles at him. Local mosques were prevented from holding dawn prayers.

They also raided an UNRWA vocational training centre.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported treating eight Palestinians beaten by Israeli forces and evacuating five patients after access to injured and sick residents was obstructed.

Report on Augustus 6:

Since 02:40 on 05. 08. 2026 The Israeli forces continue to storm Qalandia camp, closed a number of its entrances with dirt barriers, imposed a curfew, raided and searched many homes, occupied a number of homes and turned them into military points, detained many citizens, and released them after conducting a field investigation with them, and arrested 3 Citizens (including a female citizen), after demolishing part of one of them’s house with explosives before arresting him, and opened fire on a citizen, wounding him It severely beat 14 citizens (including a citizen and his son), and demolished a number of shops in the vicinity of the Qalandiya military checkpoint.

On Augustus 5, at 21:50, the soldiers opened fire on a citizen, Youssef Khaled Shehdeh Kasba, wounding him. He was subsequently admitted to the government hospital in Ramallah for treatment.

On Augustus 6, the Israeli forces in Qalandia camp and the town of Kafr Aqab severely beat 18 citizens, causing them to suffer bruises, among them, Alaa Ali Aslan, Youssef Khader, Ibrahim Musa Mutair, Muhammad Musa Mutair, and Shadi Suleiman Zayed. The soldiers in Qalandia camp opened fire on a citizen, Mahmoud Al-Afandi, and wounding him. He was subsequently admitted to the government hospital in Ramallah for treatment.

On Augustus 6, those known among the detainees in Qalandia camp are: Al-Askari - Rabie Muhammad Youssef Hamad, Khalil Asaad Manasra, Haitham Yaqoub, Muhammad Ibrahim Abu Latifa, Anas Ziyad Wahdan, Muhammad Jamal Ammar, Samih Abu Rumaila, Majd Awad Kharoub, Anas Wahdan, and Muhammad Karim Houria.

On Augustus 7, the Israeli forces withdrew from the Qalandia refugee camp north of occupied East Jerusalem late Thursday following a destructive two-day military raid that left 51 Palestinians injured, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.

Israeli official statement:

“The army has begun carrying out a wide-scale operation in Qalandiya camp,” Yoram Halevy, Israel’s coordinator of activities in the Palestinian territories, said on Facebook. Halevy did not specify how long the operation would last. He called on Palestinians to “comply with the instructions of security forces during the operation and avoid any unnecessary friction.”

"Security forces are operating in the Qalandia camp area in order to thwart terror and apprehend wanted individuals," a military official told AFP.

COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, said in an Arabic-language statement that the large-scale operation targeted "terrorist elements, terrorist infrastructure, and the possession and trafficking of weapons". "We will not allow the camp to become a center of terrorism or a safe haven for terrorists and criminals, just as we do not allow this in other camps throughout Judea and Samaria," the statement added, using the biblical name for the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

Broader context:

In 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government advanced plans for the construction of a 9,000-unit settlement on the grounds of Jerusalem's former Atarot airport, adjacent to Qalandia. Palestinian residents have since voiced fear that raids and home demolitions could be tied to a strategy of eviction ahead of settlement construction, without any official word from Israeli authorities.

Al Haq statement: (@alhaq_org | الحق)

"On 4 Aug. 2026, Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) launched an ongoing raid on Qalandiya Refugee Camp, north of Jerusalem, sealing all entrances, deploying bulldozers and heavy military vehicles, and besieging the Qalandiya Vocational Institute. IOF are carrying out widespread raids on homes and arbitrary arrests across the refugee camp. Around 60 Palestinians have reportedly been detained, with released detainees reporting threats of re-arrest and some subjected to severe beatings. Homes and property belonging to camp residents were reportedly vandalised and looted during the raid, including the theft of gold jewelry. IOF also destroyed doors and windows of the Jamil Ammar family home after removing the family from the property. IOF prevented journalists from entering Qalandiya Refugee Camp and reportedly assaulted members of the press covering the raid, restricting independent documentation of events. Nearly 19,000 residents of the camp face growing fears of forcible displacement amid repeated military operations and escalating pressure on refugee communities. The ongoing raid on Qalandiya Refugee Camp comes amid a wider assault on Palestinian refugee camps. Last year, residents of Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps were forcibly transferred, in the largest forcible transfer of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since 1967. This raid also comes after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued instructions to the IOF last week to expand the scope of the military assault on the occupied West Bank and prepare to occupy another Palestinian refugee camp."

Perpetrators:

The operation began during the night of 4–5 August in Qalandiya refugee camp and Kafr Aqab, and Israeli reporting identifies the area as being under the Binyamin Regional Brigade (חטיבת בנימין). The operation involved, IDF, Shin Bet ( שב"כ ), Border Police / Magav (מג"ב) and Jerusalem District Police. Israeli reporting describes it as a coordinated operation for arrests, interrogations and "law enforcement. "The units involved include combat troops, intelligence and special units, and they operate in tandem with regular surveillance of the area."

Urgent call from Israeli and Palestinian NGO released on Augustus 6:

Urgent Call for Diplomatic Action: Prevent Irreversible Displacement in Qalandia Refugee Camp

"Today, Israeli forces launched a large-scale military operation in Qalandia Refugee Camp. Located between Ramallah and Jerusalem, adjacent to Qalandia Checkpoint, Qalandia is one of the largest refugee camps in the central West Bank, with more than 16,000 registered Palestine refugees. The operation has involved a sustained military presence inside the camp, raids on civilian homes, arrests, and the use of residential buildings as military positions and interrogation sites. Residents report of widespread fear and uncertainty.

These concerns are not speculative. Since January 2025, Israeli military operations in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps have resulted in the prolonged displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees, extensive destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, and the continued denial of residents' return. More than eighteen months later, tens of thousands remain displaced and continue to face a severe humanitarian crisis. Despite sustained legal and diplomatic efforts, including proceedings before the Israeli High Court of Justice, residents have not been permitted to return to their homes. What began as military operations has evolved into a prolonged displacement and lasting transformation of entire refugee camps. Prolonged displacement, widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the effective emptying of entire refugee camps amount to grave infringements of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the prohibitions on forcible transfer, collective punishment, and arbitrary interference with the right to housing and family life.

Against this backdrop, recent statements by Defence Minister Israel Katz are particularly alarming. Last week, Minister Katz announced that he had instructed the military to prepare to take control of an additional refugee camp in the West Bank and displace its residents. According to media reports, the Security Cabinet has also discussed expanding military operations to other refugee camps. The ongoing operation in Qalandia therefore raises serious concerns that the approach implemented in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams is now being extended to another refugee camp.

Qalandia may be One of the Last Opportunities to Prevent the Repetition of this Pattern

The experience of the northern West Bank demonstrates that once refugee camps are emptied, homes demolished, and residents prevented from returning, subsequent legal proceedings and diplomatic engagement have thus far proven unable to reverse the resulting reality. The window for effective action therefore exists now, before another refugee camp undergoes the same process. At this stage, sustained and coordinated international engagement may be the only realistic means of preventing another mass displacement and the creation of further irreversible facts on the ground.

We therefore urgently call upon diplomatic missions to:

1. Seek immediate clarification from the Israeli authorities regarding the objectives, scope, and anticipated duration of the operation in Qalandia Refugee Camp.

2. Convey clear opposition to any measures involving destruction of civilian property, the forcible displacement of protected persons, or the prolonged prevention of residents' return.

3. Communicate publicly and privately that the replication of the model seen in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams in Qalandia or any other refugee camp would represent a grave escalation with profound humanitarian and legal consequences.

The coming days may determine whether Qalandia remains the site of a limited military operation or becomes the next refugee camp subjected to prolonged displacement and irreversible transformation. Immediate diplomatic engagement is therefore essential while there remains an opportunity to prevent another irreversible humanitarian and legal crisis.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights, Breaking the Silence, Combatants for Peace, Akevot: Institute for Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Research, Zochrot, Parents Against Child Detention, Bimkom – Planning for Human Rights, B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, Emek Shaveh, Zazim – Community Action, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, MachsomWatch, and Ir Amim."