Occupation forces intensify West Bank aggression, displacing 40,000 residents
The occupation’s aggression on the northern West Bank province of Tulkarm has entered its 41st consecutive day, with the Zionist forces deploying additional military reinforcements towards the city and its refugee camps on Saturday, while sounds of gunfire and stun grenades were heard intermittently, according to WAFA news agency.
In the Tulkarm refugee camp, the occupation forces have maintained their presence, blocking entry and firing live ammunition at those attempting to approach. The siege and destruction have led to the displacement of nearly the entire camp population.
According to witnesses, the camp has been turned into an almost deserted zone, with only a few families remaining in certain alleys near the entrances. The destruction of infrastructure, homes, and businesses has been extensive, with many buildings demolished, damaged, or set on fire, while some of the remaining houses have been converted into military outposts, WAFA reported.
In Nour Shams refugee camp, eyewitnesses have reported that occupation forces have set up surveillance cameras on the rooftops of homes they’ve seized and turned into military barracks. The camp is also experiencing extensive infrastructure damage, with many homes either entirely destroyed or heavily damaged. Besides, the remaining structures have been repurposed as military posts, and explosions are regularly heard across the area, WAFA added.
According to the latest estimates, over 9,000 residents have been forcibly displaced from the Nour Shams refugee camp, while 12,000 have been displaced from the Tulkarm refugee camp.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has declared that the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nour Shams refugee camps in the northern West Bank are now uninhabitable due to the extensive damage caused by the ongoing aggression, which has been the longest and most destructive since the Second Intifada in 2000.
The Zionist occupation launched its latest offensive in the northern West Bank since Jan. 21, initially targeting the Jenin refugee camp before expanding operations to Tulkarem’s refugee camps, including Nur Shams, and later to Al-Far’a refugee camp in Tubas. The aggression resulted in the martyrdom of over 65 Palestinians and the forced displacement of 40,000 residents.
Since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 930 Palestinians have been martyred and nearly 7,000 others injured in attacks by the occupation forces and illegal settlers across the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.
