Five people were killed in an Israeli offensive in a refugee camp in Tulkarm, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, as quoted by CNN.
The Israeli army said the operation began Thursday evening “to counter terrorism in the camp; so far, forces have eliminated a number of terrorists, arrested a number of wanted persons, searched buildings and recovered explosives."
The operation appears to be one of the largest in the West Bank since October 7. Video obtained by CNN showed continued gunfire Saturday morning, as well as new Israeli reinforcements moving toward the camp. WAFA said a child was killed, while the Palestinian Health Ministry said a 16-year-old teenager was also killed. WAFA quoted witnesses as saying that the Israeli military was holding "the bodies of the victims and not allowing ambulance crews to reach them."
The Palestinian Authority added that the military had surrounded the later, "deploying military vehicles on all axes leading to the camp and closing the main street amid reconnaissance aircraft flying over the area." Bulldozers destroyed water and sewage networks and caused power outages while "dozens of youths" were detained. Video obtained by CNN shows several young men being loaded into Israeli military vehicles. /BGNES
