5 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Israeli Forces Escalate Raids in Northern West Bank
DaysofPal – Israeli forces carried out a fresh wave of military raids in the northern occupied West Bank, storming several towns near Tulkarem, amid an intensifying campaign that has led to mass displacement, civilian casualties, and the transformation of entire neighborhoods into military zones.
Local sources reported that troops raided the town of Zeita, where soldiers stormed the home of the Ibrahim Abu al-Izz family. The family was forced out at gunpoint, and the home was seized and converted into a military outpost. Soldiers raised the Israeli flag on its roof, a move residents described as both symbolic and provocative.
Simultaneously, military vehicles moved into the nearby towns of Anabta and Bal'a, where Israeli forces were seen patrolling residential streets, searching vehicles, and restricting the movement of civilians.
According to the Wafa news agency, this escalation is part of a broader and sustained military campaign that has placed the Tulkarem area, including the Tulkarem and Nour Shams refugee camps, under a suffocating siege. Infantry units and armored vehicles have been deployed across main roads and alleyways, with soldiers reportedly firing at anyone attempting to return to their homes or check on their properties.
Israeli forces have seized control of large sections of Nablus Street, forcibly evicting residents from several apartment buildings and turning the area into a heavily fortified military zone. Parts of the northern and eastern neighborhoods near the Tulkarem camp remain under direct military control, with checkpoints, bulldozers, and heavy vehicles present throughout the area. Some buildings have now been under occupation control for over four months.
The relentless raids have caused widespread destruction and displacement. At least 14 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the escalation, including a child and two women, while dozens more have been injured or arrested. The military operations have also caused extensive damage to homes, shops, and infrastructure.
Over 25,000 residents, representing more than 5,000 families, have been forcibly displaced from the Tulkarem and Nour Shams camps. More than 600 homes have been completely destroyed, and an additional 2,573 have been partially damaged. The entrances to both camps remain closed off by military barricades, effectively turning them into ghost towns.
In a related development, Israeli forces also stormed the village of Marah Rabah, south of Bethlehem. The head of the village council, Hussein al-Sheikh, said that an army unit stationed near the Al-Atqiya Mosque stopped and searched Palestinian vehicles and checked citizens' IDs, adding to growing fears of a broader military expansion across the occupied West Bank.
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