TULKAREM: The death toll of the ongoing Israeli offensive on the city of Tulkarem and its camp since the pre-dawn hours today, which caused massive destruction, has risen to five following the killing of one Palestinian youth by Israeli forces’ fire this evening.

The Ministry of Health announced the killing of 22-year-old Ashraf Ahmad Yasin after Israeli soldiers opened fire on his vehicle.

According to sources, forces opened fire on a vehicle in the camp, resulting in the killing of Yasin and the injury of two others, including his 13-year-old brother. The boy was shot and injured in the hand and shoulder, while a youth who was also onboard the car was shot in the foot. Israeli forces also prevented the ambulances’ access to the injured.

Earlier this morning, four other civilians were killed and others were wounded, including some seriously, in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a group of Palestinians in the said camp.

Meanwhile, a reporter for Palestine TV, Ihab al-Dmairi, told WAFA correspondent th
at several soldiers attacked him while he was reporting live on TV; snatched the microphone, forced him to raise his hands and stand against a wall, and searched him before beating him with the butts of their rifles and kicking him with their combat boots.

He added that soldiers provocatively interrogated him, took away his cell phone and turned it off and inspected his personal belongings, under the pretext that he was present in an off-limit area.

He said that soldiers also harassed other journalists and threatened to shoot them, including female journalist Fayhaa Khanfar, who was threatened more than once and had her phone snatched away by the soldiers.

Forces also opened live fire toward the vehicle of a cameraman working for Palestine TV, who was identified as Fadi Yasin.

The ongoing Israeli offensive against the city of Tulkarem and its camp, which began at dawn today, caused massive destruction to streets, infrastructure and residents’ properties.

According to WAFA correspondent, dozens of residen
ts’ homes were raided and turned into military bases after forcing children and women to leave.

Massive destruction to houses and private and public properties was reported during the brutal offensive, including to the al-Salam mosque and the building of the Popular Services Committees (PSC) in the camp.

In the meantime, forces, accompanied by bulldozers, also stormed the Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem City, and proceeded to bulldoze and destroy infrastructure, structures and commercial shops there.

Scores of Palestinians were reportedly detained during the military offensive and subjected to interrogations inside the buildings that were turned into military outposts by the Israeli soldiers.

Two paramedics of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PCR) were also injured by bullets shrapnel during the offensive.

Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA