UPDATE - Israeli army orders Palestinians to vacate Nour Shams camp in West Bank in 4 hours

UPDATES WITH ANOTHER ACTIVIST STATEMENT, MORE ISRAELI ARMY REPORTS

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army ordered Palestinian residents of the Nour Shams refugee camp in the northern West Bank within four hours, according to a Palestinian activist on Wednesday.

"The army notified the Palestinian Civil Liaison, a contact point with Israel, to alert residents to leave within four hours if they wish to,” Suleiman al-Zuheiri told Anadolu.

According to the activist, the Israeli army erected several military checkpoints at the entry points to the refugee camp, allowing residents to leave the area from a specific exit.

"Israeli military bulldozers are destroying the infrastructure in and around the Tulkarm and Nour Shams camps, backed by drones," he said.

Ahmed al-Deek, an assistant to the Palestinian foreign minister, told Anadolu that “Israel is replicating its Gaza eviction tactics in the West Bank, creating an environment that forces residents to leave.”

“The occupation (Israeli forces) has informed the residents of the Nur Shams camp to vacate their homes, effectively implementing what Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has mentioned,” he added.

However, the Israeli army claimed in a statement that, “Contrary to reports, no evacuation orders have been issued to the residents of the area. There are other water sources available to the residents in the Nur Shams area.”

“The army allows residents who wish to move away from the combat zone to leave the area safely,” it added.

Under the condition of anonymity, Israeli military sources told Anadolu that "for those who wish to leave the Nur Shams area, there are designated passages that remain open and are secured by the forces."

The Israeli army launched a major military operation in the northern West Bank early Wednesday, the largest in two decades.

At least ten Palestinians have been killed since the start of the operation, according to the latest figures released by the Health Ministry.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said early Wednesday that the army operation includes the “temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents" from areas in the northern West Bank.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,500, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 660 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara, Mohammad Sio in Istanbul