TULKARM, Saturday, April 20, 2024 (WAFA) – The Israeli occupation army today killed five Palestinians and injured others in the course of its ongoing large-scale offensive in Nur Shams refugee camp, east of the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm.

The occupation forces continue their large-scale offensive in Nur Shams refugee camp for the second day, killing at least five people, including a child, and injuring others. At least four casualties were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Eyewitnesses confirmed that the occupation forces were still withholding the bodies of the victims and preventing ambulance crews from reaching them.

Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its crews managed to evacuate two live ammunition casualties from the camp to the Thabet Thabet Government Hospital.

It added that Israeli soldiers obstructed PRCS emergency ambulance crews from helping injured people in the camp, forced the casualties out of ambulances and inspected their identity cards.

This came as the occupation army continued to besiege the northern West Bank camp and sent additional reinforcements to it.

The occupation army launched Thursday evening a large-scale offensive against the refugee camp, triggering confrontations and causing extensive destruction.

The army, accompanied by two bulldozers, one of them a D9, stormed and imposed a strict siege on the camp, deploying military vehicles on all axes leading to the camp and closing the main street amid the flying of reconnaissance aircraft in the area.

Israeli bulldozers deliberately destroyed main streets, alleyways, water and wastewater networks on their way to and inside the camp, and tore down walls, stores and parts of houses in the camp.

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

Scores of soldiers showed up at dozens of houses in the camp, broke inside, conducted thorough searches, interrogated occupants, wreaked havoc inside, and detained dozens of youths.

They turned some houses into military outposts, deployed snipers and prevented ambulances from entering the camp to transport the bodies of victims and evacuate casualties.

A commercial strike is observed today in Tulkarm district in condemnation of the offensive.

K.F.