IOF continue to wreak havoc in West Bank, detain Palestinians
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The Israeli occupation military continues its large-scale offensive in the occupied West Bank, demolishing civilian infrastructure and turning the remaining ones into military outposts.
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Israeli soldiers look on as a military excavator demolishes a building in the Nur Shams camp for Palestinian refugees east of Tulkarem, amid an ongoing offensive in the occupied-West Bank, on March 6, 2025 (AFP)
Israeli occupation forces deployed military reinforcements toward the West Bank city of Tulkarm and its two refugee camps, stationing vehicles and infantry units in the streets and neighborhoods, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Saturday.
The occupation forces positioned themselves around the entrances of the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, accompanied by live gunfire, stun grenades, and flares, with explosions heard in the area, WAFA mentioned.
Israeli military vehicles and heavy bulldozers remain stationed in front of residential buildings and homes, which they have seized and turned into military outposts along Nablus Street, the road connecting the two camps.
40 يوما من العدوان..#شاهد| الدمار الكبير الذي خلفه عدوان الاحتلال المتواصل على مخيم طولكرم pic.twitter.com/IgDa3q2Zya
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) March 8, 2025
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers continue to stop and search vehicles, inspect citizens’ identification, and detain individuals for interrogation.
In the Tulkarm camp, Israeli forces chased Palestinians attempting to enter the camp to check on their homes and retrieve belongings.
According to Palestinian media, Israeli occupation forces fired live ammunition and stun grenades at Palestinians, detaining several individuals and forcing them to leave Tulkarm camp under the threat of gunfire should they attempt to return.
Reports also indicate that Israeli soldiers were seen installing surveillance cameras on rooftops of seized homes inside the camp, which have been converted into military outposts.
Tulkarm camp is witnessing widespread destruction, with extensive damage to infrastructure, homes subjected to full or partial demolition, vandalism, and fires. The remaining structures have been turned into Israeli military outposts amid ongoing explosions, which can be heard intermittently.
Israeli forces have also sent reinforcements to the Nur Shams camp, which remains under heavy siege, in parallel with the occupation military continuing to raid homes, forcibly displace residents, and convert properties into military bases. Meanwhile, Israeli bulldozers continue to destroy infrastructure, demolishing homes in the al-Manshiya neighborhood entirely as part of a plan to carve out roads and alter the camp’s geographic landscape. Over 28 homes have been demolished in just one week.
In the Jenin camp, Israeli forces demolished multiple homes, including one belonging to the Sweiti family in the al-Samran neighborhood. The occupation military has also deployed additional military reinforcements, including armored vehicles, to Jenin as the city faces a large-scale offensive.
لحظة هدم الاحتلال منزلاً لعائلة "سويطي" في حارة السمران داخل مخيم جنين. pic.twitter.com/OkcTQf0J36
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 8, 2025
'Israel's' West Bank operation aligns with annexation 'vision': UNRWA official
A UN official warned that the large-scale Israeli offensive, which has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated refugee camps over the past several weeks, increasingly appears to align with a broader "vision of annexation" of the West Bank.
The ongoing aggression—underway since late January—is now the longest in two decades, with severe humanitarian consequences for Palestinians.
"There are growing concerns that the reality being created on the ground aligns with the vision of annexation of the West Bank," Roland Friedrich, director of West Bank affairs for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told AFP.
"It's an unprecedented situation, both from a humanitarian and wider political perspective," he added.
Friedrich noted that approximately 40,000 people have been forcibly displaced from their homes in the northern West Bank, primarily from three refugee camps where the operation initially began.
"These camps are now largely empty," he said, with residents unable to return and struggling to secure alternative shelter.
Within the camps, Friedrich described the extent of destruction as "very concerning", highlighting severe damage to electricity, sewage, and water infrastructure, as well as private homes.
The Israeli operation initially targeted the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps—where UNRWA operates—but has since expanded to additional areas in the northern occupied West Bank.
Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant has stated that troops will remain in the evacuated camps for months to "prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism."
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has declared that "Israel" will "apply sovereignty" over parts of the West Bank in 2025.
Friedrich underscored that "the statements we are hearing indicate that this is a political operation. It is clearly being said that people will not be allowed to return."
In an advisory opinion issued last year, the International Court of Justice ruled that "Israel's" occupation of the West Bank was unlawful.
Israeli occupation forces raid Nablus and Beit Lahm
In a related development, Israeli forces stormed the city of Nablus and several areas in Beit Lahm, while settlers attacked Palestinian properties in al-Khalil, in the occupied West Bank.
Local sources reported that Israeli forces entered Nablus from the western side, raiding a residential building near the Zawata junction and ransacking a home belonging to the Sunobar family.
مشهدٌ جديد.. لحظة إلقاء جنود الاحتلال مركبة فلسطينية في وادٍ ببلدة صوريف شمال الخليل. pic.twitter.com/4yIRSX5zHk
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 8, 2025
The occupation forces heavily deployed around al-Quds Open University, the Pharmacists’ Housing District, and the Ma’ajeen neighborhood to the west, conducting searches in the area that has faced repeated incursions for more than three weeks.
Meanwhile, settlers attacked Palestinians and their properties in Masafer Yatta, south of al-Khalil, under the protection of Israeli forces, who detained three Palestinians.
Read more: 50 Palestinian homes razed as 'Israel' continues West Bank demolitions
