Israeli Military Withdraws from Tulkarm after Killing Four in 48-Hour Operation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The Israeli army has withdrawn from Tulkarm and its refugee camps in the northern occupied West Bank following a 48-hour military operation, which resulted in four deaths and significant infrastructure damage.
Witnesses reported that the Israeli military pulled out of Tulkarm on Thursday evening, leaving behind four fatalities, several injuries, and extensive damage to the city’s infrastructure.
Israeli military bulldozers were seen destroying main roads, damaging water and sewage networks, toppling power poles, demolishing homes, and wrecking vehicles.
The Red Crescent, accompanied by local residents, entered the Nur Shams refugee camp, where extensive raids, home demolitions, arrests, and field interrogations had occurred over the past two days.
The Israeli army launched its largest military operation since 2002 in Tulkarm, Jenin, and the Al Fara refugee camp near Tubas on Wednesday morning, killing 16 Palestinians, according to Palestinian sources.
The army withdrew from the Al Fara camp after a 30-hour operation early Thursday.
Tensions remain high across the occupied West Bank, exacerbated by an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip that has claimed over 40,600 Palestinian lives, mostly women and children, since October 7 of last year.
At least 670 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,400 injured, and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied West Bank during this period, according to Palestinian reports.
On July 19, the International Court of Justice deemed Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Al-Quds.
Despite widespread international condemnation, the Israeli military continues its largest onslaught in the West Bank in over two decades.
The death toll from Israel’s assault, which began on Wednesday, has risen to at least 18, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed the death of a Palestinian man in eastern Jenin early Thursday, shortly after five Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire inside a mosque in the Nur Shams refugee camp.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 12 Palestinians were killed on the first day of the raids.
Israel commenced coordinated raids on Wednesday, deploying columns of armored vehicles, troops, and warplanes before encircling refugee camps in Tubas, Tulkarm, and Jenin.
Local media reports indicate that Israeli forces have burned several homes and inflicted significant destruction in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm.
Electricity and internet services have been disrupted in parts of the West Bank.
The violent raids have particularly impacted Tulkarm, with its governor describing the raids as “unprecedented” and a “dangerous signal.”
Authorities reported widespread infrastructure damage, including to water and sewage networks, with bulldozers tearing up city streets as a precaution against concealed explosives.
The Hamas resistance movement condemned Israel’s continued siege of hospitals in Jenin and Tulkarm, which has prevented injured people from accessing medical facilities.
Media reports, quoting witnesses, suggested that Israeli forces had withdrawn from the Al Fara refugee camp in Tubas, where several Palestinians were killed on August 28.
Clashes were still ongoing in Jenin, where a drone was observed overhead, and Israeli soldiers remained active in Tulkarm.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported that at least 45 people have been arrested since the start of the Israeli operation in the northern West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli assault, warning of “dire and dangerous” consequences, and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas returned early from a visit to Saudi Arabia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the Israeli offensive, condemning the loss of lives, including children, and urged Israel to protect civilians.
“These dangerous developments are fueling an already explosive situation in the occupied West Bank and further undermining the Palestinian Authority,” Guterres added.
The UN has warned that Israel’s raids in the West Bank risk deepening an already catastrophic situation.
Violence by settlers and Israeli forces has surged in the West Bank since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in early October 2023, with near-daily assaults on refugee camps and towns intensifying since October 7.