EU expresses ‘grave concern’ over Israeli attacks in West Bank

By Lejla Biogradlija and Efe Ozkan

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (AA) — The EU on Saturday expressed “grave concern” over the consequences of Israeli attacks on refugee camps in the occupied northern West Bank.

In a statement, Anour El Anouni, spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, said that 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced and vital infrastructure has been damaged in the attacks.

The EU calls on Israel to fulfill its obligations under international law, the statement said.

He stated that the EU is also concerned about the deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation in the West Bank and called on all parties to exercise restraint with the coming of Ramadan.

- Israeli attacks in West Bank

The military assault on Nour Shams has now entered its 21st day, while Israeli forces have been targeting northern West Bank cities, particularly Jenin and Tulkarem, for over a month as part of an ongoing military offensive, killing at least 64 people and displacing thousands.

On Feb. 23, Israeli tanks entered the Jenin refugee camp in a military escalation not seen since 2002.

Palestinian authorities have warned that the continued military offensive is part of a broader plan by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to annex the West Bank and declare sovereignty over it, which could officially mark the end of the two-state solution.

The raids were the latest in the military escalation in the West Bank, where at least 927 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 others injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since the start of the onslaught against the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The International Court of Justice declared in July that Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories is "unlawful," demanding the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.