Tag: Tulkarm

Who is Holding Israel Accountable for its Crimes?

November 21 Tulkarm, Occupied West Bank

On Tuesday evening, the Israeli occupation forces carried out a military operation that lasted for 10 continuous hours resulting in the killing of 6 Palestinians and the destruction of the camp’s infrastructure – streets, and roads, shelling of the al-Balaawneh Diwan, and two other houses.

Occupation forces destruction of Tulkarm

While the residents of the camp were enjoying the calm on Tuesday evening around 11: 00, the residents of the city of Tulkarm, and the residents of the Tulkarm refugee camp specifically, woke up due to the news of the storming of dozens of military vehicles to the city and to the camp.  Eyewitnesses said that about 40 military vehicles, including jeeps and D9 bulldozers, stormed the Tulkarm refugee camp.

Israeli snipers were deployed everywhere, especially on the roofs of Palestinian houses inside the camp and its surroundings, as well as inside buildings under construction in the city, targeting anything that moved.

The Israeli occupation bulldozers began bulldozing the main roads in the camp as usual, destroying the infrastructure as they did in the previous incursion, and destroying the water and sewage network.

An Israeli drone also targeted the building (Diwan Al-balaawneh), a public property of the camp, and targeted those inside it.  Four Palestinians were killed who had been inside the building. Two more Palestinians were killed by Israeli snipers.

Three houses were destroyed with moderate damage, a car was burned and three other cars were damaged, belonging to two civilian residents of the camp.

Feelings of fear, tension, and despair prevailed among the residents of the camp because the Israeli occupation forces continued to storm the camp, kill Palestinians, and destroy the infrastructure, streets, and roads in the camp.

Hundreds of Palestinians participated in the funeral of the bodies of the 6 martyrs in the camp.  Their bodies were transferred to their families’ home for a final farewell look, after which their bodies were transferred to the UNRWA school to pray for them.  And because of their large number, the number of camp residents participating in the funeral alike.  The camp residents carried the bodies of the martyrs on their shoulders and chanted words expressing anger, unity and resistance to the occupation inlegitimate ways. Until they arrive at the cemetery of Denabaa.

Tulkarm residents gather for the funeral of 6 martyrs of the occupation army raid.

The Israeli occupying forces continue to commit and intensify their crimes against the Palestinian people in the West Bank, in particular in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the number of martyrs of the West Bank since October 7 has reached more than 215.

Grief and fear persist for Palestinians in Tulkarm and across the occupied West Bank.

 

Two attacks in less than 24 hours in Tulkarem Camp

08 November 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Tulkarm

By Diana Khwaelid

The Israeli occupation is not only committing crimes in Gaza, it continues to commit crimes in the West Bank.

A quick military operation was carried out by Israeli special forces in broad daylight, as they planned an ambush for three young men from the Tulkarm refugee camp, near the eastern neighborhood – the roundabout of the slaughterhouse in the city of Tulkarm.

On Monday evening (6th of October), around 4: 38 PM, Israeli special forces assassinated 3 Palestinian youths inside their car in the eastern neighborhood of Tulkarm city. Another Palestinian was killed later, bringing the number to 4 Palestinians who were in the area.
At least 70-80 live bullets were fired.


The Israeli special forces opened fire at point-blank range on the three young men, and continued firing on the corpses even after the three Palestinians had been killed. 5 other Palestinian civilians who were in the area were also shot, including a 14-year-old boy, whose injury was described as serious.

 

The Israeli occupation forces were not satisfied with this brutal assassination, and on Tuesday night (7th of November) at 03.00 AM the occupation forces invaded and stormed the Tulkarem refugee camp, with the presence of huge military vehicles, including a D9 type crawler, to bulldoze and sabotage the main roads and streets in the camp, especially in the Balawneh neighborhood.


During a difficult night in the shadow of tension and fear, the occupation forces vandalized the camp’s infrastructure, the main streets and roads leading to the camp, and also targeted the power transformer and the electricity grid. The Israeli occupation forces and its military vehicles shelled two Palestinian homes, the first belonging to the Al-Banna family, and the other belonging to the martyr Azzedine Awad, one of the young men who was assassinated inside by the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) the day before.

Two shops belonging to family members of the martyr Azzedine Awad were destroyed, and his mother was hit by an Israeli bullet in the face area, although her wound was described as superficial.

Hundreds of Palestinians in Tulkarm camp and the city mourned the four martyrs to their final resting place: Jihad Shehada, 24 years old; Ezzedine Awad, 27 years old; Mo’min Belaoui, 20 years old; Qasem Rogby, 20 years old.

Their parents, friends, and camp residents took a last farewell look at them, and chanted words of anger and national unity as they transported the corpeses of the martyrs to the Al-Salam mosque in the camp to pray for them, and later to the the Nabi cemetery, on the other side of Tulkarm camp. A state of sadness prevails in the Tulkarm refugee camp after the killing of 4 of its young men.

The occupation forces continue to brutally kill Palestinian youth, in the West Bank and Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of health, 29 Palestinians have been killed in the city of Tulkarem since October 7th, while in the whole of the West Bank there have been more than 160 martyrs during the same period.

A new massacre in Nour Shams camp, Tulkarm

 

19 October 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Tulkarm

By Diana Khwaelid

The Israeli occupation forces launched a major military assault on the city of Tulkarm, especially on the Nur Shams refugee camp. A curfew was imposed throughout the city for at least 30 continuous hours, and Israeli snipers were deployed in more locations within the city, as well as in villages adjacent to the city and camps, especially the Nur Shams camp.

On 19-10-2023, at 3:00 in the morning, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed the Nur Shams refugee camp in huge numbers, with dozens of military jeeps, bulldozers and a D9 caterpillar. The camp’s sirens were activated, as camp residents woke up to the sound of gunfire and exploding bombs. Residents of the camp, especially children, were woken up by huge explosions that shook the camp.

There were strong clashes between Palestinian fighters who tried to defend the camp and the occupation soldiers, which lasted for around 30 hours, after which the Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the camp completely, on Friday morning at about 7:00 AM.

The Israeli occupation forces completely destroyed the main entrance to the camp and the infrastructure of the camp using one of its military vehicles, the armoured bulldozer type D9. The IOF also destroyed dozens of civilian cars belonging to the camp’s residents, 7 Palestinian houses were bombed using drones, some of which were destroyed and part of them were partially damaged.

 

The IOF also destroyed water networks and sewage pipes, and electricity and communication lines were completely cut off on the camp since the first hours of the invasion. There was no good communication between the camp residents and the outside, which exacerbated the problem of calling ambulances to enter the camp and transfer the wounded.

According to medical sources , 13 Palestinians were killed. 2 of them were not residents of the camp. 7 of them under the age of 18 and 2 of them were 10 years old. According to the Red Crescent, at least 40 people were injured, including by live bullets and shrapnels produced during the firing of missiles by Israeli drones, which targeted homes belonging to Palestinian civilians.

The Israeli occupation forces also obstructed the movement of medical personnel and ambulances, and hindered them from moving and entering the camp to transport the wounded to the hospital. The IOF identified members of the medical staff and obstructed the movement of journalists attempting to report on the raid. At least one injured Palestinian who was inside the ambulance was arrested on his way to the hospital.

7 Palestinians were killed  while they were near a house targeted by a drone. 5 of them were children. The Israeli occupation claims that it was targeting Palestinian militants, but all those reported killed were unarmed civilians.

Hundreds of Palestinians from the camp and from nearby towns participated in the funerals of the Palestinian martyrs who were killed in cold blood during this assault launched by the Israeli occupation forces on the camp. Funeral attendees raised the Palestinian flag, and chanted patriotic words expressing national unity, anger and condemnation of the IOF’s continuing bloody crimes against the Palestinian people, whether in Gaza, the West Bank or Nur Shams camp.

After the assault, the number of martyrs of the city of Tulkarm rises to 22 since the start of the war on Gaza on 7-10-2023.  81 Palestinians were martyred in the West Bank during this period.

This is the fifth invasion on the camp in recent months, but the inhabitants of Nur Shams are still ready to sacrifice their lives to defend their homes.

 

Israeli snipers target civilians, kill father of 3-year-old in Tulkarm

 

13 October, 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Tulkarm

By Diana Khwaelid

On the evening of Friday, October 13th, 2023, Israeli snipers opened direct live fire on a white civilian car while it was passing near the Sanaoz military checkpoint, in Tulkarm city.
Ahmed Abed, who was one of the two passengers in the vehicle, said that Israeli snipers on the tower opened fire on the car as they were on their way to the gas station to fill up on fuel. Ahmed was hit by four live bullets in the back and shoulder area, but was lucky to survive, he said.

Rami Hassan, 33, from the village of Arta, husband and father of a 3-year-old girl, Abe, was mortally wounded by several bullets that penetrated his body. His condition was initially described as serious. Rami did not withstand the wounds and died 8 hours after the shooting. Rami worked in a blacksmith shop and as a government employee in the municipality of Tulkarm to support his family.

 

The wounded and witness to the incident, Ahmed, said that they were about 500 meters away from the miltary checkpoint and they did not pose a danger to the Israeli occupation forces, as they were not near a military area and did not cross the border. Nevertheless, they were surprised by direct live fire on them.

He added that the Israeli occupation forces directly targeted them knowing that they were civilians, and that the snipers clearly intended on killing them. No warning shots were fired. Ahmed said he survived miraculously.

The National Action factions in the city of Tulkarem mourned the martyr Rami Hassan, dozens of Palestinians participated in his funeral, and he was given a farewell look by his family and friends. Palestinian demonstrators chanted patriotic phrases expressing anger and sadness at the continuation of the Israeli occupation forces targeting Palestinian civilians.

 

Childhood is being killed in Palestine

15 October, 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Tulkarm

By Diana Khwaelid

The 16-year-old martyr Mohammed Adwan was fatally wounded by a live bullet fired by an Israeli soldier while participating in a demonstration in solidarity with Gaza that took place last Friday, 13th of October, 2023.
Mohammed answered the call to participate in a demonstration organized by the youth of the village of Far’oun, south of the city of Tulkarm. Last Friday was one of anger in all cities of the world, and Mohammed could not sit at home. He went out to meet the call and express in his own way his solidarity with the people of Gaza as Israel was bombing civilian homes in the Strip.
Mohammed was a student studying at Far’oun Secondary School. The occupation killed his dreams and ambition.

Mohammed was fatally injured, although he was unarmed: the occupation does not distinguish between big and small, and it shoots at the young
demonstrators nevertheless. Mohammed’s injury was between moderate and serious, but his small, thin body could not withstand it. He died from his wounds a day later. Mohammed is the first son in the family, he has another brother and two sisters, his family said goodbye to him with moments of oppression and sadness.

Dozens of Palestinians in the village participated in the funeral of the child martyr Mohammed Adwan and chanted Palestinian patriotic phrases in a state of anger, sadness and oppression, as the occupation forces continue to kill and shed the blood of
Palestinian youth, especially children.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 1000 children, a third of whom infants, were killed in Gaza since Saturday, 7th of October. 43% of Gaza’s population is younger than 14 years-old.