Tulkarm: The Israeli aggression on the city of Tulkarm and its camp has entered its first month, and on the Nour Shams camp its 17th day, amid an unprecedented military escalation and a tight siege that has completely destroyed the infrastructure and property, and resulted in the killing of 12 Palestinians, in addition to the injury and detentions of dozens.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, since the beginning of the aggression, the occupation forces have imposed a tight siege on the Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps. This has coincided with extensive raids on the city and the siege of its hospitals, during which homes were raided, searched, and turned into military outposts. Additionally, bombing, burning, and demolishing dozens of homes have occurred, with residents expelled at gunpoint, leading to a large wave of displacement among the residents of the two camps exceeding 15,000 displaced persons. These individuals were distributed in shelters and the homes of their relatives in the city, its suburbs, and villages.
The aggression has caused extensive destruction of the infrastructure, including electricity, water, sewage, and communications networks, greatly affecting the lives of residents who remained in some neighborhoods of Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps. This has exacerbated their suffering due to the severe shortage of food, water, medicine, and baby formula.
The Israeli aggression has resulted in the killing of 12 people, including a seven-year-old child and two females, one of whom was eight months pregnant. The last victim was a man who died last Friday from his serious injuries after a military vehicle hit his vehicle on Nablus Street in the city. More than 20 people have also been injured, some from live bullets and shrapnel, and others due to being hit by military vehicles.
The occupation forces have detained at least 165 civilians during the ongoing aggression, in addition to dozens who were subjected to field investigation, as reported by the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS). Last night, the occupation forces sent more military reinforcements, including vehicles and bulldozers, through Nitsani Oz checkpoint west of Tulkarm, to the city and its two camps. This was accompanied by the widespread deployment of infantry squads in the streets and neighborhoods, and their positioning on Nablus Street linking Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps, where they set up military barracks in three residential buildings opposite Tulkarm camp.
The Israeli occupation has escalated its targeting of the infrastructure in Tulkarm and its camp, bulldozing more streets and roads, causing significant damage. WAFA correspondent reported that the occupation bulldozers destroyed part of the western street of the city, specifically the boys' schools street, leading to the destruction of the infrastructure and causing damage to the water network, islands, and sidewalks. Tulkarm municipality crews rushed to the site immediately after the occupation withdrew to repair the water line and part of the road to facilitate the passage of vehicles.
Occupation bulldozers also carried out additional leveling of Nablus Street, especially at the northern entrance to Tulkarm camp, which led to the complete destruction of the infrastructure, including the water and sewage networks. Municipality crews worked to remove the rubble, repair some of the damage, and reopen the road. The occupation bulldozers destroyed streets in Al-Muqata'a neighborhood in the camp, extending to Qaqun neighborhood, causing further destruction to the infrastructure there.
In the past few days, Tulkarm camp was subjected to a large-scale demolition operation that included more than 26 buildings, razed to the ground by occupation bulldozers as part of a settlement plan claiming to open a street extending from the agency area to al-Balawneh neighborhood, passing through Al-Sawalmeh, Al-Shuhada, Al-Hamam, and Al-Khidmat neighborhoods.
In Nour Shams camp, the occupation forces remain deployed around and inside some neighborhoods that are suffering from widespread destruction and sabotage. They continue to storm homes, vandalize their contents, abuse residents, and subject them to interrogation amid threats and intimidation.
Amid the continued siege on the Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps, residents who remain in their homes live in challenging conditions, appealing for the arrival of basic needs of food, water, medicine, and baby milk. The occupation forces are preventing entry into or exit from the camps and obstructing the work of relief crews during their attempts to deliver necessary food supplies.
In the same context, occupation forces stationed on Nablus Street are stopping and searching vehicles, checking passenger IDs and mobile phones, subjecting them to interrogation, and seizing vehicle keys. The occupation forces continue to close the gate of the Jabara checkpoint at the southern entrance to the city of Tulkarm for the 18th consecutive day, isolating the city from the villages and towns of Al-Kafriyat and the rest of the West Bank governorates.
