NABLUS (Palestine Foundation Information Center) In the early hours of Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) launched a large-scale military assault on Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus.
During the incursion, the IOF forced residents out of their homes at gunpoint, raided houses, and carried out field interrogations and arrests.
The IOF also sealed off all entrances to the camp, preventing any movement in both directions, while infantry forces were deployed throughout the camp’s narrow alleys and streets.
According to eyewitnesses, several families were forced to flee, seeking refuge at the Al-Ghaoui junction between Balata and Askar camps, while others gathered near the Deir Bir Ya’qub area. Ambulances transported them to nearby locations.
A 15-year-old boy, who was already injured from a previous incident, was assaulted by soldiers and transferred to a hospital for treatment.
The raids focused primarily on the Jamasin neighborhood in the center of the camp. During the assault, the young man Ahmad Abu Hamadeh was arrested, and the house of Abu Mahyoub Abu Leil was raided. Locals reported seeing IOF carrying maps as they moved from one neighborhood to another.
Due to the presence of Israeli forces in the area, five schools in and around the camp switched to remote learning.
The military operation is ongoing as of this writing, and residents were unable to reach the camp’s mosques for dawn prayers.
