OIC condemns Tulkarm camp assault by Netanyahu and Katz, cites threat to Palestinian refugee issue

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the storming of Tulkarm camp by Benjamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Katz, warning of the dangers posed by this aggression against the camps in the West Bank, and described the actions as part of efforts to eliminate the refugee issue, their existence, and their right to return, WAFA news agency reported on Saturday.

In a statement, the organization reiterated its call for the international community to fulfil its responsibilities, urgently intervene to halt the occupation’s ongoing violations and crimes, and hold those responsible accountable.

Accompanied by soldiers, Benjamin Netanyahu entered a Palestinian home in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the northern West Bank on Friday, according to media sources.

“We are destroying entire streets, eliminating militants, and I have instructed reinforcements in the West Bank along with additional military operations,” Netanyahu said in a recorded statement from Tulkarem, released by his office.

For nearly two months, the occupation forces have been conducting military operations in northern West Bank refugee camps, particularly in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas.

Earlier on Friday, the Zionist forces announced the deployment of three additional battalions to the West Bank following Netanyahu’s directives.

As the aggression enters its second consecutive month, the United Nations expressed concern over the continued “Israeli” attacks on West Bank cities, particularly in the northern region, noting that “Israel” is carrying out its longest military operations since the early 2000s.

In a press conference on Friday night, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is closely monitoring the situation in the occupied West Bank, adding that attacks by settlers, who are seizing Palestinian land, continue unabated.

The UN spokesperson disclosed that an average of five “settler violence” incidents have been documented daily in the West Bank over the past week.

“The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has documented the displacement of some 2,300 Palestinians, including 1,100 children, across the West Bank since last year, due to settler attacks and restrictions imposed by Israel,” Dujarric added.

The occupation forces have killed more than 50 Palestinians since their offensive in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, which started on January 21, right after the Gaza ceasefire deal was agreed.

The aggression has inflicted severe damage on water and sanitation infrastructure for Palestinian communities, according to a report from the UN’s humanitarian office (OCHA).

On Friday, two Palestinian children, aged 12 and 13, from Hebron and the Jenin governorate were shot in the back and killed by occupation forces, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Wafa news agency confirmed.

Since the Zionist occupation’s genocidal war on Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, over 920 Palestinians from the West Bank have been martyred and nearly 7,000 others injured in attacks by the occupying forces and illegal settlers, according to the Health Ministry.