For the 35th consecutive day, Israeli occupation forces continue their large-scale assault on the city of Tulkarm and its refugee camps, carrying out systematic destruction targeting both civilians and infrastructure.
In a dangerous escalation, residents of Al-Manshiya neighbourhood in Nur Shams Camp awoke to a horrifying scene as flames engulfed their homes—deliberately set ablaze by Israeli forces. This latest act of destruction follows the demolition of over 11 homes the previous day.
These actions amount to war crimes under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which strictly prohibits the destruction of private property under occupation, except when absolutely necessary for military operations—a condition not met by Israel’s campaign in Tulkarm, which specifically targets defenceless civilians as part of a wider policy of collective punishment.
Beyond arson and destruction, residents of Wadi Al-Qalanswa neighbourhood were forced at gunpoint to leave their homes following violent raids and the heavy use of stun grenades to terrorise them. The same fate befell residents of Jabal Al-Nasr, who were given only minutes to evacuate as Israeli forces fired live rounds into the air to instil fear.
These forced displacements form part of a wider campaign of ethnic cleansing, with human rights organisations documenting the displacement of over 16,000 people from the two camps since the start of the assault—most of them women, children, and the elderly—in scenes reminiscent of the catastrophic mass displacements Palestinians have suffered for decades.
In addition to arson and home demolitions, Israeli forces have deliberately targeted Tulkarm’s infrastructure, causing extensive damage to water, electricity, and sewage networks, rendering daily life nearly impossible. The tightened siege has severely restricted the delivery of food, water, and medicine, while aid teams remain blocked from providing essential humanitarian assistance.
The burning of homes in Nur Shams Camp and the forced displacement of residents constitute serious violations of international law, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which classifies deliberate destruction of property and forced displacement as crimes against humanity.
The ongoing assault on Tulkarm and its refugee camps demands immediate international intervention. The United Nations and the International Criminal Court must act swiftly to hold Israel accountable for these crimes, launch an international investigation into the arson attacks and mass displacement, and impose sanctions on the occupation to halt its relentless aggression against the Palestinian people.
