Tulkarm, Palestine
Residents of the Nur Shams Palestinian refugee camp in Tulkarm, in the northern occupied West Bank, described how Israeli soldiers stormed the camp early Wednesday morning, destroying homes with bombs, abusing people before arresting and interrogating them and injuring elderly people in inhumane violence.
Earlier today, the Israeli army launched an intensive military attack in the governorates of Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas in the northern West Bank, the largest in two decades.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the “military operation” includes the “temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents” from the northern areas of the West Bank.
At least 10 Palestinians have been killed since the offensive began, according to the latest figures from the Gaza Health Ministry.
Many residents told Anadolu Agency that the occupation forces raided their homes, blew up their front doors, assaulted and verbally abused the residents, and arrested young men for interrogation inside the camp.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority announced the “large-scale operation” and said that “security forces are operating simultaneously in Jenin and Tulkarm.”
The Israeli army said in a statement that the operation aims to confront what it called “terrorism” in the northern West Bank.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the military attack, the largest in two decades since the major attack on Jenin in 2002, includes two army brigades, helicopters, drones and bulldozers.
See also: Israeli army gives residents four hours to evacuate Nur Shams town in northern West Bank
Arrests and violations
Suhaib Khaled, a young man from Nour Shams camp, told Anadolu Agency that the occupation forces arrested him from his home about 20 hours ago and took him to one of the interrogation centers in the camp.
“I woke up to find soldiers in my house,” he said, adding that he was arrested, handcuffed and blindfolded.
He added that he was detained pending interrogation about some people on the Israeli army’s wanted list and fighters inside the camp.
Later, Khaled was released with a number of other detainees, but they were sent towards the city of Tulkarm and were not allowed to return to their homes.
For his part, citizen Yazan Daama added that the occupation forces stormed his family’s home in the camp after smashing its doors and injuring his elderly father.
“They interrogated me for about two hours about the whereabouts of the fighters before they released us,” he said.
“I was not allowed to return to the camp,” Douma said, adding that “one of the soldiers ordered me to go in this direction (towards the city), or they would shoot me.”
His brother Baraa shares similar experiences: “We don’t know the condition of our family, we are worried about them, and they must be feeling the same way now.”
“My family went through a terrifying experience because of the explosion: all the women, children and elderly were affected,” he added.
He added, “The army raids the houses one by one, blows up their doors and enters them,” noting that he was also subjected to beatings and humiliation.
destruction of property
On the outskirts of the camp, Anadolu Agency contacted one of the residents after the partial withdrawal of the occupation forces from the area.
Citizen Nashat Amr stood in front of his house and described the scene, saying: “An Israeli armored excavator came to the house and suddenly we felt as if there was an earthquake. The house shook and we thought it would fall on us.”
“After the forces withdrew from here, we left and this is what happened,” he explained, pointing to his house.
“The outer wall was destroyed, parts of the house were demolished and a balcony fell on my car,” he added.
See also: EU says Israeli military operation in West Bank should not be extension of Gaza offensive
Tensions have been rising across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,500 people, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023.
At least 660 Palestinians have been killed since then and about 5,400 others injured in the occupied territories, according to Palestinian figures.
In a landmark ruling on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
*Aisha Sandoval Alagona contributed to this note.
The Anadolu Agency website contains only a part of the news provided to subscribers on the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in a summary form.
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