West Bank city and refugee camp besieged for second day by occupation forces

The Israeli occupation forces launched a number of attacks and raids in the occupied West Bank this morning, and continued their siege of Tulkarm and its refugee camp for the second day in a row.

According to Palestinian prisoners’ affairs organisations, the occupation forces arrested a number of people who were taken away for interrogation under the pretext of participation and involvement in armed resistance against illegal Jewish settlers and troops. The arrests were concentrated in the governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Tubas. Dozens of homes were stormed and residents had personal belongings seized.

In Tulkarm Governorate, the occupation forces blew up the family home of the martyr Sanad Ghannam in Nour Shams camp, destroying homes and public facilities nearby. Ghannam was killed in 2005, and the family home has been destroyed by the Israelis several times over the years.

Nour Shams camp witnessed a series of explosions by which the occupation forces destroyed a number of Palestinian properties in various neighbourhoods, and set them on fire. Homes and shops were vandalised by the troops. Snipers were deployed on rooftops and residents were forced to leave the camp. A curfew was imposed, and occupation forces stationed themselves at Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque.

In a neighbouring camp in Tulkarm, armoured bulldozers destroyed streets, infrastructure and property, including shops and vehicles. The destruction by the Israeli occupation forces was concentrated in the Madares neighbourhood, Hanoun Square, and Balawneh. Even children were interrogated by soldiers.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club named Iyad Fouad Hamid, Tariq Shusha, Rashid Hamamra, Yahya Yadak, Moamen Zaid, Hani Rabi, Mohammad Saleh Abu Safiya and Raafat Bashir Ahmed as the young men arrested by the occupation forces in various towns and refugee camps. Their homes were vandalised during the arrests, and personal belongings were taken away.

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