Tulkarm Deputy Governor Faisal Salama has said that the Israeli occupation forces continue to occupy Tulkarm refugee camp and have completely destroyed at least 40 residential buildings, including 100 apartments, set fire to 10 homes, and destroyed 300 or more shops.
The attack on the camp by the occupation regime has been ongoing for 30 consecutive days, he explained yesterday. Residents have been displaced at gunpoint, and not even personal belongings have been spared from the chaos that has been wreaked by the occupation forces.
Salama explained that the occupation forces set a dangerous precedent by creating a road through four districts deep into Tulkarm camp, starting from Balawneh, passing through Al-Hamam and Al-Sawalmeh, and reaching Khadamat on Thanaba Street. In doing so they razed 26 buildings, and caused serious damage to all adjacent buildings and facilities.
At least 12,000 Palestinians have been displaced from Tulkarm camp through threats and intimidation. Education has been disrupted, said the deputy governor, depriving 2,000 children studying in the four UNRWA schools in the camp of education for more than a month. This is in addition to the cessation of health services for camp residents.
The ongoing Israeli offensive in Tulkarm camp has also seen the complete and unprecedented destruction of the civilian infrastructure, affecting the electricity, water, sewage, internet and communications services.
According to Salama, it is clear that the occupation state wants to achieve political and media objectives, and not the security and military goals that it claims. Most importantly, he said, it aims to strike at the core of the Palestinian refugee issue, by social engineering and changing the structure and demographics of the camp, and emptying it of its residents.
READ: Israel has forcibly displaced 40,000 Palestinians in occupied West Bank