TULKARM: A young Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces this evening in the Tulkarm refugee camp, north of the occupied West Bank, as the occupying Israeli army continues its widescale deadly offensive in the city and its refugee camp for the second consecutive day.
The continuing Israeli aggression on the Tulkarm city and refugee camp, as well as the neighboring Nour Shams refugee camp, has so far led to the murder of seven civilians, the injury and detention of hundreds, and widespread destruction of infrastructure.
WAFA correspondent, citing eyewitnesses within the camp, reported that the Israeli army left the young man-later identified as Abdul Rahman Othman-bleeding on the ground for long hours without allowing ambulance vehicles to reach him.
Disturbing images captured by residents of the Tulkarm refugee camp showed Israeli occupation forces chaining Othman’s legs with a rope, dragging him on the ground, and subjecting him to maltreatment.
Meantime, several civilians were injured
by the sniper fire of Israeli occupation forces positioned on the rooftops of tall buildings in and around the camp. Due to the prevention of ambulance vehicles entering the camp and hindrance of their field operations, the extent of injuries and their fate remain unclear.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that its teams managed to reach three injured individuals. The three include a 22-year-old youth in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, a 28-year-old youth with a gunshot wound to the thigh, and a child with gunshot shrapnel in the eye. They were all transferred to Thabet Thabet Government Hospital in Tulkarm.
Residents of Tulkarm refugee camp informed our correspondent that Israeli forces detonated several homes and structures belonging to civilians after booby-trapping them.
The forces, according to local accounts, forced the inhabitants, along with residents of neighboring homes, to evacuate under the threat of weapons. This resulted in extensive destruction to the targeted hom
es and adjacent structures, with thick smoke filling the air in the region.
Israeli occupation forces further raided the homes and businesses of residents, subjecting them to sabotage, destruction, and looting of their contents. Dozens of civilian vehicles in the vicinity of Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in the camp were also deliberately destroyed.
Simultaneously, the occupying forces continued their extensive campaign of arrests among the local population, targeting hundreds of young men. They detained them for prolonged periods, transferring them from one place to another, with field investigation centers set up in various homes.
The detained individuals were reportedly subjected to harsh conditions, including blindfolding and handcuffing, as well as physical assault and threats of death.
These assaults were accompanied by the intensive firing of live ammunition and stun grenades, restricting the movement of civilians. Faisal Salama, the head of the Popular Committee for Services in Tulkarm refugee camp, desc
ribed the situation in the camp as catastrophic, saying the camp has turned it into a disaster zone.
Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA