Israel has forcibly displaced more than 20,000 Palestinians from the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports.

“The [Israeli] occupation has entirely destroyed the Jenin refugee camp and forcibly displaced over 20,000 residents, leaving behind their homes, documents, and personal belongings,” Jenin Deputy Governor Mansour al-Saadi told the Voice of Palestine radio.

The displaced residents are expected to seek shelter in other cities across the occupied West Bank, as destruction caused by the Israeli assault makes their return impossible.

The Israeli attacks and destruction are “a conspiracy against the refugee issue aimed at erasing it entirely”, Saadi said.