Israeli forces continue Tulkarm siege for second day

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 Wafa news agency, the Israeli military maintained a blockade on Tulkarm camp, deploying heavy machinery and bulldozers, which have been demolishing streets and alleys throughout the camp.

Moreover, Israeli occupation forces stormed the neighbourhoods of Al-Nadi, Al-Shuhada and Al-Balouna, where homes were raided, searched and some were converted into military posts.

It comes after Israeli soldiers forcibly evacuated many Palestinian residents from their homes, seizing and burning several properties. Additionally, Israeli military forces tightened their control at several entrances to the camp, particularly along Nablus Street, where they stationed vehicles and imposed a complete lockdown, shooting at anything in motion.

Meanwhile, five Red Crescent ambulance crews have been detained inside the camp, with all contact lost, according to Red Crescent officials. Several Palestinian residents have also been detained after their homes were stormed, but their numbers and whereabouts remain unknown due to the ongoing siege.

Occupation forces have also surrounded the Martyr Dr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital, restricting the movement of patients and medical personnel and subjecting those leaving the hospital to field interrogations.

In the Nour Shams camp, located to the east, bulldozers have caused extensive damage, particularly near the Martyr Saif Abu Labdeh roundabout and the clinic area, following a raid late last night.

Israel has intensified its occupation and attacks on the West Bank since it launched its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip in October last year.

At least 692 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,700 others injured in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion on 19 July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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