West Bank
13-Sep-2024
By Diana Khwael
Since the beginning of the military operation on August 28th, which the Israeli occupation called “Operation Summer Camps”, targeting three cities in the northern West Bank—Tulkarem, Jenin, and Tubas—the Israeli occupation forces withdrew a week after the operation in the Tulkarem camp and 10 days after the invasion in the Jenin area, specifically in the Jenin refugee camp.
In the city of Tulkarem, particularly in the Tulkarem refugee camp, a large battalion of Israeli occupation forces participated, especially using military bulldozers and jeeps, with the aim of destroying the camp’s infrastructure. This is not the first time the Israeli occupation has targeted the camp’s infrastructure.
Palestinians Fear History Repeating
Before the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Palestinian camps, they left behind unprecedented devastation, not seen since 2002. A resident of the Tulkarem camp noted there hadn’t been such destruction since 1967. Hundreds of Palestinian homes were destroyed or burned, and hundreds of shops were demolished by Israeli bulldozers, along with streets and vital infrastructure. Electricity, internet, and water lines were cut off from the first day of the invasion of the northern West Bank camps.
Dozens of Palestinian homes lacked basic supplies, including bread, milk for children, and water.
Continuing Military Operations in the Camps
On Tuesday the 10th, Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Tulkarem after Israeli special forces raided the Dabbas commercial complex around 2:00 PM. A state of panic gripped the residents, especially in the camps, as military reinforcements entered the city and shops were closed. Tulkarem turned into a ghost town once again.
No Safe Life
Residents of Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps have not yet recovered from the recent incursion. The occupation took only three days to storm the city and its camps and in broad daylight. Life in Tulkarem, especially in the camps, has become unsafe and unstable as dozens of Palestinian families began fleeing, fearing another invasion.
The affected Palestinians from the Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps described their neighborhoods as completely destroyed, similar to Gaza. Many homes were destroyed beyond repair or will take a long time to rebuild.
Others said, “We no longer feel safe; we are afraid for our children.” This indicates that Israel is using tactics to displace Palestinians from the northern West Bank camps, especially those in Tulkarem.
On the evening of Thursday the 12th, Israeli occupying forces bombed a car, assassinating three Palestinian resistance fighters inside. The fighters, from the Nur Shams refugee camp, were found charred beyond recognition. The death toll in Tulkarem during the recent military operation, which lasted more than 72 hours, rose to five martyrs. Three were from Nur Shams camp, including a young man in his twenties and a twenty-year-old girl who was targeted by an Israeli sniper while at home in the Tulkarem camp.
According to the Palestinian Health Organization, the total number of martyrs in the West Bank since October 7 has reached 702, with 5,700 injured. According to the Prisoners and Liberators Affairs Commission, more than 10,400 Palestinians are currently detained in Israeli prisons.
