Israeli aggression on West Bank escalates; Resistance vows retaliation
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The Israeli military’s assault on Tulkarm and its refugee camp has now entered its 27th consecutive day, while the Nur Shams camp remains under siege for the 14th day.
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Residents of the West Bank refugee camp of al-Far'a, near Tubas, evacuate their homes as the Israeli aggression on the area continues, on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)
Invading Israeli units continued their brutal military offensive across the northern West Bank on Saturday, intensifying raids and home demolitions in Tulkarm and its refugee camps, while Palestinian Resistance groups vowed further retaliation.
At dawn, Israeli troops shelled a Palestinian home in the town of Yasid, north of Nablus, with an Energa anti-tank shell after besieging the property. They also carried out widespread home raids, interrogating residents on the ground.
The Israeli military’s assault on Tulkarm and its refugee camp has now entered its 27th consecutive day, while the Nur Shams camp remains under siege for the 14th day. Military reinforcements have flooded the area, with invading Israeli units storming Palestinian homes, vandalizing properties, and obstructing any movement.
Resistance vows escalation
Early Saturday, the al-Quds Brigades - Tulkarm Brigade issued a stark warning, emphasizing the protracted nature of their struggle and vowing that their fighters' sacrifices would fuel continued resistance against Israeli occupation forces.
The statement was released in direct response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Tulkarm on Friday, during which he ordered an expansion of military operations in the West Bank.
A senior commander from the brigade delivered a defiant message to Netanyahu, asserting that all efforts to suppress the Resistance are doomed to fail and warning that the next phase will be even more intense.
Mass displacement and escalating civilian toll
Invading Israeli units have imposed severe movement restrictions in the region, particularly on the main road linking Tulkarm and Nur Shams, where troops have set up roadblocks, stopped vehicles, and subjected civilians to searches and interrogations, amid reports of abuse and assault.
In the most extensive demolition operation in recent weeks, Israeli forces began razing 16 homes in the Tulkarm refugee camp on Tuesday. The governorate of Tulkarm estimated that over 16,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced since the Israeli offensive on the northern West Bank began.
The civilian death toll continues to rise, with 12 Palestinians killed, including a seven-year-old child and two women—one of whom was eight months pregnant. The latest casualty was Ahmad Awad, who was killed on Friday when an Israeli military vehicle rammed his car in Tulkarm’s Nablus Street.
Settler expansion
As military operations escalate, Israeli settlers have begun expanding an illegal outpost near the Tayasir checkpoint, east of Tubas.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced the deployment of three additional brigades to reinforce its IOF forces in the occupied West Bank, following a bombing incident in Bat Yam on Thursday evening. Israeli police reported explosions on three buses in separate locations south of Tel Aviv.
With tensions escalating across the occupied territories, concerns mount over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the northern West Bank, as mass displacement, home demolitions, and Israeli aggression continue unabated.
