13 Palestinians wounded as Israeli army storms camp in West Bank

By Awad Rajoun

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – At least 13 Palestinians were injured when the Israeli army raided a camp in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Four citizens were injured by Israeli bullets, while nine others received shrapnel during the Israeli forces' aggression in the Nur Shams camp in Tulkarem, the ministry said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent stated that the Israeli army prevented its crew from entering the camp to deal with the injuries.

“An ambulance that was on its way to transport a child was blocked, and the crew was detained and forced to take off their bulletproof clothing,” the NGO said.

An eyewitness told Anadolu that the Israeli army withdrew from the camp after damaging the infrastructure.

“The main street in the camp has been completely destroyed. There is widespread destruction of infrastructure and a number of cars were also damaged,” the eyewitness said.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that large Israeli forces, accompanied by a military bulldozer, stormed the camp at dawn, closed its entrances, and imposed a military siege.

The report stated that dozens of military vehicles surrounded the camp and closed Nablus Street, which is the main street that passes through the entrance to the camp, amidst heavy gunfire and shelling of tear gas canisters.

It further noted that violent confrontations broke out between residents and the Israeli army, resulting in severe material damage to the infrastructure and property of citizens, including the bulldozing of the main entrance to the camp.

For its part, the Al-Quds Brigades in Tulkarem, the military arm of the Islamic Jihad movement, announced that its members clashed with the storming forces and "they put them in a field of fire and explosive devices prepared in advance in Nur Shams camp's vicinity, which damaged a number of vehicles."

The Al-Quds Brigades claimed on its Telegram channel that they detonated a pre-prepared explosive device in an Israeli Zionist bulldozer, damaging it.

Also, the Fatah Movement-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, said on Telegram that its members clashed "from zero distance with an (Israeli) force, and they sustained injuries."

In a related development, the Asra Media Office, a Palestinian NGO, stated that the Israeli army detained 11 Palestinians from the provinces of Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin, Ramallah (center), and Hebron and Bethlehem (south) late Sunday night.

Since the beginning of the year, the occupied West Bank has witnessed severe tension, following repeated Israeli army incursions into Palestinian cities to arrest and confront individuals they consider wanted, in addition to the repeated attacks carried out by Israeli settlers on Palestinian villages and towns.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat