Zionist occupation escalates aggression on West Bank in attempt to ethnically cleanse the north
The Zionist occupation escalated its aggression on the city of Tulkarm and its refugee camp to include the Nour Shams refugee camp, located east of the city, causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and forcing residents to flee their homes, WAFA news agency reported on Sunday.
According to WAFA correspondent, the occupation forces deployed large military reinforcements, including heavy machinery and bulldozers, to Nour Shams camp, where they conducted raids on dozens of homes surrounding the camp, accompanied by heavy gunfire and massive explosions, while reconnaissance planes flew at low altitudes overhead.
The occupying forces also imposed a strict siege on the camp, sealing off all access points and seizing residential buildings in the nearby neighbourhoods, forcing residents to evacuate their homes and the city under harsh, perilous conditions in the freezing cold, the source said, adding that the occupation then turned these homes into military outposts and sniper positions.
The situation worsened as bulldozers began demolishing roads leading to the camp, including Nablus Street near the entrance to the camp. They also destroyed the already damaged infrastructure from previous incursions and deliberately interfered with local internet networks to disrupt communication, WAFA added.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that the occupation forces prevented its medical teams from entering the camp, despite receiving alerts about casualties.
Sondos Jamal Muhammad Shalabi, who was eight months pregnant, has been martyred during the occupation’s raid on the Nour Shams camp, according to a statement by the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, in Tulkarm refugee camp, the occupation troops continue to deploy large numbers of infantry throughout the area, raiding homes that have mostly been vacated or destroyed after the residents were expelled. The occupation has been seizing high-rise buildings to convert them into sniper positions while indiscriminately firing live ammunition.
In the city of Tulkarm itself, the occupation forces intensified their presence in the eastern district of the city, raiding dozens of homes, looting contents, inspecting the identities of residents, and seizing surveillance camera footage.
In parallel, the siege on Thabet Governmental Hospital remains in place, with occupation soldiers stationed at both of its entrances, obstructing the movement of ambulances and medical staff.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning “against the continued Israeli occupation forces committing the crime of ethnic cleansing and enforcing forced deportation and displacement of our people from the camps in northern the West Bank, emptying them of their residents, as is the case in the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Faraa camps, in a blatant violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the Geneva Conventions.”
The Zionist occupation’s military offensive, which began on Jan. 21 in the northern occupied West Bank, targeted Jenin city, its refugee camp, and surrounding towns, claiming the lives of over 25 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
