For the third day in a row, Israeli occupation forces have been ruthlessly attacking Tulkarem and its camp, resulting in killings, arrests, home demolitions, and infrastructure destruction—all in blatant disregard for human rights agreements and international humanitarian law.
During the attacks, which came amid growing military repression against Palestinians, homes were bombed, residents were forcibly displaced, and hospitals were besieged.
According to eyewitnesses, the occupation forces destroyed homes and shops, forced residents to leave the camp, converted it into a military barracks, and blew up a house owned by the Balawneh family in the Balawneh neighbourhood in the centre of the camp, causing a fire to break out inside.
Additionally, the occupation bulldozers destroyed the camp’s infrastructure in several areas, including the northern and western neighbourhoods, and obstructed the entrances with earth mounds, leaving residents under siege and impeding the delivery of necessary services.
In an act of collective punishment that is illegal under international law, the occupation forces stormed the Shuweika suburb north of Tulkarem and destroyed the home of the late Tamer Raafat Fuqaha two months ago after informing his family of the demolition.
An increase in arrests coincided with the Israeli aggression; after raiding and searching the home of a young man named Tamer Issam Nassar from the town of Anabta, east of Tulkarm, the occupation forces took him into custody. In keeping with the policy of arbitrary arrests that targets Palestinians without a fair trial, he was previously detained.
The occupation forces besieged the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and the Israa Specialised Hospital amid increasing violations, hindering medical personnel’s work and preventing ambulances from arriving. This puts patients’ and wounded people’s lives in danger and goes against the fundamentals of international humanitarian law, which safeguard medical facilities and the personnel who work there.
The Israeli assault on Tulkarem yesterday, Tuesday, resulted in several arrests, the death of young Ayman Fadi Al-Naji, and the injuries of three citizens, including a journalist who was shot in the hand and a child in critical condition. The occupation’s policy of systematic destruction is reinforced by the international silence surrounding Israel’s aggression on Tulkarm, which doubles the suffering of Palestinian civilians who live under military oppression every day without any genuine international protection.