The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue its large-scale aggression in Tulkarm and its camp, amidst serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights rules, ranging between targeting civilians, destroying homes, and forcing families to be forcibly displaced, in a form of internationally prohibited collective punishment policies.
The IOF continued to impose a tight siege on Tulkarm and its camp for the 6th consecutive day, where infantry forces and armoured vehicles have been deployed in residential areas. They also raided homes and shops, and turned many residential and commercial buildings into military barracks, after deploying snipers on their roofs.
In the camp, soldiers forced families in several areas, including Al-Nadi, Al-Shuhada, Al-Ghanem, Al-Matar, and Abu Al-Foul, to leave their homes under threat, in a policy aimed at emptying the camp of its residents as part of collective punishment operations.
Eyewitnesses spoke of systematic destruction of homes, including bombing, burning and completely destroying its contents, under the pretext of searching for wanted persons.
The aggression was accompanied by widespread destruction of infrastructure, as the IOF bulldozed streets and main roads, leading to power outages, water and communications, in addition to a severe shortage of food, medicine and baby formula, amid tragic humanitarian conditions that threaten the lives of residents, especially the sick and the elderly.
The IOF also tightened the siege on hospitals, such as the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and the Israa Specialized Hospital, where they prevented ambulances from moving freely and detained medical staff, in a flagrant violation of the rights of patients and the injured.
According to international humanitarian law, forced destruction and indiscriminate targeting of civilians constitute war crimes that require accountability. However, the continuation of these practices without deterrence reflects the absence of a real international will to put an end to the occupation’s violations.
The crimes happening in Tulkarm and its camp require urgent international action to pressure the occupation to stop its violations, ensure the protection of civilians, and hold those responsible for these crimes accountable before international courts.
