TULKARM, Thursday, April 18, 2024 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces stormed the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm and the adjacent Nur Shams refugee camp east of it this evening, according to local sources.

WAFA correspondent reported that reinforced Israeli army forces stormed the city accompanied by two bulldozers, one of them a D9, through the western entrance. They headed towards the Nur Shams refugee camp, imposing a strict siege on the camp and deploying their vehicles on all access points leading to it.

She added that the occupation forces closed the main entrances to the camp amidst the hovering of reconnaissance aircraft at low altitudes over the area and its surroundings.

Simultaneously, the occupation forces imposed a curfew on the camp and prevented residents from returning to their homes. They also prevented vehicles from entering or leaving.

Additionally, the Israeli forces bulldozed several sections of the city's streets on their way to the camp, specifically the Younis Roundabout in the northern neighborhood, the al-Sekka Street, Martyr Saif Abu Labdeh Square, and Nablus Street adjacent to western entrance of the camp.  

Confrontations erupted during the Israeli military siege of the camp, resulting in a young man being injured and transferred to Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in the city for medical treatment. His condition was described as moderate.

Meantime, the Israeli forces raided several homes in the Al-Manshiyya neighborhood of the camp, conducting searches and subjecting residents to interrogation, along with inspecting their mobile phones. 

The occupation forces also demolished an abandoned house at the entrance of the camp, using it as an entry point to penetrate the camp's alleyways amid heavy gunfire and the deployment of flares over the camp.

Additionally, the Israeli forces targeted electricity poles and wires along the main Nablus Street adjacent to the camp, causing power outages in parts of the area.

M.N