Israeli army expands assault in northern West Bank amid tension

ISTANBUL

The Israeli army expanded its assault in the northern West Bank on Sunday, staging an incursion into the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem city.

According to witnesses, Israeli troops forced several families out of their homes in the camp, converting them into military outposts.

The military offensive involved a large number of Israeli forces, reinforced with bulldozers, which entered the camp and imposed a blockade on it, they said.

Witnesses said that bulldozers began demolishing the entrance to the al-Maslakh neighborhood in the camp.

In a statement, Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil confirmed the Israeli raid on the camp and called for international intervention to stop what he called the "unprecedented aggression" in the area.

Kamil said that emergency medical teams were being prevented from reaching those injured in the camp, further worsening the humanitarian situation.

Nihad Shawish, a local activist in the camp, said that over 150 families had been forced to flee their homes under Israeli threats, with soldiers converting their homes into military outposts.

Shawish emphasized that the camp was now surrounded by the Israeli army, which deployed snipers across the area.

He said the army had informed displaced families that they would not be allowed to return for at least two weeks.

The Israeli army, for its part, said that the offensive targeted what it called “disruptive activities" in the camp.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that military operations in the northern West Bank were meant to “destroy infrastructure in refugee camps and prevent its return.”

The Israeli escalation follows a broader Israeli military offensive that began on Jan. 21 in Jenin and its refugee camp, as well as surrounding towns, killing at least 25 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The army expanded its assault into Tulkarem on Jan. 27, killing five more people. On Feb. 2, another assault was launched in the town of Tammun and the Far'a refugee camp in the Tubas city.

The Israeli escalation follows a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza on Jan. 19, after more than 15 months of Israel bombardment, which has killed nearly 48,200 Palestinians and devastated the enclave.

Since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 906 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.