TULKAREM, (The Palestinian Information Center) Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continue their relentless assault on the city of Tulkarem and its refugee camp for the 221st consecutive day, and on Nur Shams camp for the 209th day, carrying out raids, arrests, home evictions, and preventing hundreds of students from returning to their schools.
In a statement on Thursday, the Tulkarem Media Committee said the IOF forced residents of the Abu Safiya neighborhood, east of the city and adjacent to the camp, to evacuate their homes on Thursday morning.
The statement added that IOF troops stormed several areas overnight, including the town of Anabta to the east and the village of al-Ras to the south, raiding and searching homes. Four young men were arrested while passing through a checkpoint at the entrance of Tulkarem camp.
Over the past two days, the IOF detained two young men, Noor Radwan al-Hajj and Thaer al-Najjar, from the town of Bal’a east of Tulkarem. The raids were accompanied by the ransacking of dozens of homes and shops, the destruction of street sections, and extensive damage to infrastructure.
Schools in Tulkarem and its two refugee camps remain closed due to the ongoing Israeli military operation, depriving hundreds of children of in-person education. Many are forced to rely on remote or improvised learning spaces.
The city faces continuous incursions, with both Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps under siege. Armored vehicles and infantry units have surrounded the camps, barring residents from accessing their homes.
According to the committee, more than 5,000 families, over 25,000 people, have been forcibly displaced from the two camps. At least 600 homes have been completely destroyed and another 2,573 partially damaged. Entrances to the camps remain sealed with barriers, leaving them desolate and cut off from life.
So far, the IOF has killed 14 Palestinians in Tulkarem, including a child and two women, one of them eight months pregnant. Dozens more have been wounded or arrested, while widespread destruction has devastated infrastructure, homes, businesses, and vehicles.
