Israel’s Ongoing Assault on Tulkarm Refugee Camp: Forced Displacement and Widespread Destruction
For the ninth consecutive day, Israeli forces continue their military offensive in the Tulkarm refugee camp, demolishing homes, displacing residents, and worsening humanitarian conditions.
Watan-Local sources in the Tulkarm refugee camp, in the northern West Bank, confirmed that Israeli occupation forces carried out explosions inside the camp on Tuesday, including the detonation of Palestinian homes. This comes as the Israeli assault on the camp continues for the ninth consecutive day, forcing the displacement of more than 80% of the camp’s residents amid worsening humanitarian conditions and a severe shortage of basic necessities.
Activist Hussein Al-Sheikh Ali told that “residents heard three explosions since this morning in the Hamam, Shuhada, and Balawna areas.” He added that residents expect further explosions, as the Israeli army has brought in additional explosives via trucks and extended wires used for detonation. They fear large-scale demolitions targeting entire residential blocks, similar to what occurred in the Jenin refugee camp.
Faisal Salameh, head of the Popular Committee in Tulkarm camp and deputy governor of Tulkarm, told that “since the beginning of the assault nine days ago, occupation forces have demolished a significant number of homes.” However, he noted that it is difficult to determine an exact number due to disrupted communication and the inability to gather details amid the mass displacement.
He confirmed that explosions have been heard repeatedly since this morning. Salameh also stated that the percentage of forcibly displaced residents from Tulkarm camp has exceeded 80% “as occupation forces continue to force more families out of the camp at gunpoint.”
Salameh explained that throughout the nine-day assault, Israeli forces have been moving from house to house in the camp, conducting searches, turning some homes into military barracks, and detaining families inside without allowing them access to food or water. He added that “those who remain in the camp are enduring dire conditions, suffering from shortages of food, water, milk, and essential supplies, as well as ongoing intimidation.” He highlighted the difficulty of delivering aid, which is only possible through the Red Cross and the Red Crescent for one hour per day.
Israeli forces have been attacking Tulkarm city and its refugee camp for nine days, launching an airstrike at the entrance of the nearby Nur Shams camp at the start of the offensive, killing three Palestinians: Ramez Dumairi, Ihab Atiwi, and Ayman Naji.
Additionally, Waheed Madi was killed by Israeli gunfire last Saturday in the Qaqoun neighborhood of the camp. Due to the ongoing assault, residents of Tulkarm camp have been unable to hold funerals for the martyrs, whose bodies remain in the hospital morgue.
During the assault, Israeli forces have bulldozed infrastructure, destroyed shops, retaining walls, and parts of homes using bulldozers, in addition to demolishing several houses. The destruction has also extended to Tulkarm city, including areas such as Jamal Abdel Nasser Square and the Tulkarm courthouse. Intense clashes erupted in the early days of the invasion, and intermittent gunfights continue to be heard in the camp.
Meanwhile, the displaced residents have scattered across different areas of the Tulkarm governorate, with most seeking refuge in the homes of relatives and acquaintances. However, Salameh confirmed that many of the displaced are also struggling with harsh living conditions due to shortages of food, bedding, and essential supplies.
