Tulkarm: Israeli occupation forces have intensified their attacks on the Tulkarm refugee camp and the city, marking the sixth consecutive day of demolition and terror for the local population.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, Israeli forces have ramped up their demolition efforts in the camp’s internal neighborhoods. They have deployed a heavy-duty bulldozer (D10) to demolish additional homes and shops, particularly along Sawalma and Hammam streets, reducing them to rubble.
The forces have also raided dozens of homes, destroying the contents and creating openings in the walls to access neighboring houses, resulting in panic among residents, especially children, the elderly, and women. Many families have been forced to abandon their homes under the threat of gunfire. Additionally, Israeli forces have seized high-rise buildings within and surrounding the camp, turning them into military outposts and sniper positions. This, combined with a significant presence of infantry units patrolling the streets, has escalated tensions in the area.
Tragically, today, 51-year-old Wahid Omar Madi was killed by a sniper’s bullet in the Qaqoon neighborhood. Local sources reported that Madi was struck when he opened his door and subsequently bled for nearly an hour and a half as Israeli forces prevented Red Crescent emergency crews from reaching him. As the violence continues, more families have been forcibly displaced from their homes, fleeing a worsening humanitarian crisis brought about by the ongoing assault.
The bombardment has devastated the camp’s infrastructure, leaving residents without access to essential services such as water, electricity, internet, and communications. There is also a severe shortage of food, medical supplies, drinking water, and infant formula. In Tulkarm city, Israeli forces have continued their siege of both the Thabet Thabet Government Hospital and Al-Isra Specialized Hospital, seizing nearby buildings and obstructing emergency medical services.
Furthermore, Israeli forces have taken control of commercial and residential buildings in the city center and the eastern and western neighborhoods, converting them into military bases and sniper positions. Infantry units persist in patrolling various areas of the city, conducting home raids, searching alleys, and stopping vehicles and pedestrians for identity checks and physical abuse, as witnessed in an incident earlier today in the city’s eastern district.