'Israel' escalates attacks on Tulkarm for 55th day
4 Min Read
Israeli occupation forces raid Tulkarm and the Nur Shams refugee camp for the 55th day in a row
-
Palestinians lineup to cross from the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah to occupied al-Quds, to participate in the Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, on March 21, 2025. (AP)
Israeli forces stormed the al-Muqata’a neighborhood in Tulkarm refugee camp at dawn on Saturday, ordering all residents to evacuate their homes under threat, local sources have reported. Troops fired stun grenades to intimidate residents and gave them until noon to leave.
Meanwhile, Israeli bulldozers blocked parts of Nablus Street, which runs alongside the camp’s entrances, using dirt mounds. The occupation forces also seized several Palestinian vehicles, stopping them on the road, confiscating their keys, and using them to block sections of the street.
Israeli military reinforcements were deployed across Tulkarm, with armored vehicles patrolling the city’s streets and neighborhoods, obstructing civilian movement. Several businesses were raided, vandalized, and their employees were subjected to interrogations.
Civilian martyrs mount
The ongoing Israeli assault on Tulkarm and its refugee camps has resulted in the deaths of 13 Palestinians, including a child and two women—one of whom was eight months pregnant. Dozens have been injured and arrested, while over 24,000 people from Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps have been forcibly displaced, along with families from the city's northern district.
Israeli forces have maintained their siege on Tulkarm for 55 consecutive days, leaving the camp nearly deserted as more than 12,000 refugees have fled.
Hamas condemns ongoing Israeli raids
Hamas condemned the continuous Israeli military operations, stating that the ongoing assault on Jenin, now in its third month, along with the attacks on Tulkarm and northern West Bank areas, reveals the Israeli occupation's persistent brutality and its broader plans against the Palestinian territories.
The movement called on all factions and the Palestinian people to unite in resistance, emphasizing that "our people and our resistance are the only parties guaranteed to thwart the occupation’s schemes."
Hamas also urged the international community to take responsibility, pressure the Israeli regime to halt its aggression, and hold it accountable for violations of international law and war crimes.
Israeli plans to demolish homes in Jenin, Nablus
On Friday, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli occupation forces planned to demolish 95 homes in the Jenin refugee camp and another 85 homes in the Ein Beit al-Maa refugee camp near Nablus. The move is expected to further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli occupation intensified military operations in the West Bank alongside its resumption of the war on Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and displaced since October 2023.
Israeli escalations
On Friday, Israeli forces stormed the Balata refugee camp east of Nablus, as well as the villages of Burqa in the northwest and Qabalan and Yatma in the south.
Local sources reported that occupation soldiers raided the Jamaseen and Hashasheen neighborhoods in the Balata camp, firing live bullets in the area, where detentions or injuries were reported.
The sources added that Israeli military vehicles entered the town of Burqa, raiding and ransacking several homes. However, no detentions were reported.
In the villages of Qabalan and Yatma, south of Nablus, occupation forces carried out incursions amid heavy use of live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades.
