As the Israeli aggression against Palestinian territories escalates, another crime has been added to the long list of violations committed by Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians in Tulkarm.
On Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the killing of Sundus Jamal Shalabi (23 years old), who was eight months pregnant, and the critical injury of her husband, after Israeli occupation forces opened fire on them in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm.
According to eyewitnesses, Sundus was with her husband and their two children, attempting to flee the camp at dawn when Israeli soldiers fired at them. She was struck by multiple bullets, while her husband sustained life-threatening injuries.
Although local residents managed to secure the children, Israeli forces deliberately blocked the arrival of ambulances for over half an hour, delaying the transfer of the injured to the hospital. As a result, doctors later pronounced both the mother and her unborn child dead, attributing their deaths to the delay in medical evacuation.
Israeli forces have been escalating their aggression against Nur Shams refugee camp for the past 13 days, carrying out demolitions and systematic destruction of infrastructure in areas surrounding the camp.
These operations are taking place under an ongoing siege and repeated large-scale raids, forcing many residents to flee their homes.
The continued Israeli aggression against Palestinian refugee camps and the perpetration of such horrific crimes against civilians—particularly pregnant women—constitute a flagrant violation of human rights. The international community must intensify its pressure on the Israeli occupation to put an end to these brutal assaults and ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians in accordance with international conventions.
