Israeli army raids Tulkarem, Balata camp, clashes erupt in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army raided the city of Tulkarem and the Balata refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank early Monday.

Israeli occupation forces stormed Tulkarem after midnight, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The report noted that several occupation military vehicles accompanied by two heavy bulldozers entered the city from its western side, where they began demolishing infrastructure in the Al-Alemi area, while a surveillance drone hovered at a low altitude over the city.

Wafa also reported that the Israeli army raided Balata refugee camp east of Nablus accompanied by a military bulldozer, which led to clashes with Palestinians.

Eyewitnesses said that clashes erupted between Palestinian militants and the army at the entrance to the camp.

Activists shared videos showing military vehicles and bulldozers during the raids.

The Israeli army withdrew early Friday from the cities of Tulkarem and Jenin and their refugee camps in the northern occupied West Bank after a military operation that lasted about 10 days.

The army later announced in a statement, however, that the operation in Jenin is still ongoing "until its objectives are achieved."

In parallel with its war on Gaza, the Israeli army has expanded its operations and settlers have escalated their attacks in the West Bank, resulting in the deaths of 692 Palestinians and around 5,700 wounded, in addition to numerous arrests, according to official Palestinian institutions.

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 41,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 94,800 others, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul