Tulkarm: The Israeli occupation forces have sustained their operations in the city of Tulkarm and its associated camps for 52 consecutive days, with a focused assault on Nur Shams camp for the past 39 days. The military escalations involve intensified raids, demolitions, and forced evacuations of residents under a stringent siege, complemented by increasing military reinforcements.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, local sources reported that the occupation forces issued evacuation orders to residents of the al-Hadaydeh and al-Matar neighborhoods in Tulkarm camp, mandating them to vacate their homes by noon. The forces also conducted extensive searches in the al-Raba’a neighborhood, interrogating residents as part of their operations.
Recent days have witnessed a significant exodus of residents from several neighborhoods in Tulkarm camp, including Qaqun, Abu al-Ful, and Marbat Hanoun, with al-Hadaydeh and al-Matar being the latest to face evacuation threats. This mass displacement has left the camp nearly deserted, with more than 12,000 refugees forced to flee.
The occupation forces have established a heavy presence across all neighborhoods, engaging in pursuits of civilians and converting vacated homes into military outposts and sniper positions. They have also targeted shops, institutions, and mosques, engaging in acts of vandalism and theft.
In Nur Shams camp, demolition activities by occupation bulldozers persist, particularly in the Manshiyya neighborhood. Additionally, the camp remains under a tight siege, with a fuel tanker reported to have arrived despite the blockade. The occupation forces have seized more homes in the Jabal al-Nasr neighborhood, compelling residents on the western outskirts to evacuate, amid indications of plans to establish a military barracks in the area.
Eyewitnesses report daily demolitions and bulldozing operations in the camp, systematically destroying homes, alleyways, and infrastructure, which has resulted in a significant alteration of the camp’s geography and identity. Military reinforcements, including heavy vehicles and bulldozers, have been dispatched to the city and its camps.
Infantry units have been deployed on main streets, restricting vehicular movement and employing sound bombs to intimidate residents. A military bulldozer has obstructed the road connecting al-Sikka Street and Nablus Street with earth mounds, and military barracks have been set up inside residential buildings taken over by the occupation forces.
The al-Huda building on Nablus Street was raided, with apartments searched and residents’ cell phones inspected. The occupation forces have also seized multiple homes on the same street, particularly in areas adjacent to Tulkarm camp, and their vehicles maintain a presence in the vicinity, enforcing strict movement restrictions.
These operations form part of an ongoing escalation by the occupation forces in Tulkarm and its camps, resulting in the deaths of 13 civilians, including a child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant. The aggression has injured and led to the arrest of numerous individuals, displacing over 24,000 people and causing extensive infrastructure damage, including to water, electricity, sewage, and communications networks. Homes, shops, and vehicles have suffered varying degrees of destruction, including being demolished, burned, vandalized, looted, and stolen.
Access to and within the two camps has been severely restricted, with entrances and pathways blocked by earth mounds.