Israeli occupation forces launched widespread abduction attacks and pressed on with home demolitions on Monday, marking the 141st day of their ongoing offensive in Tulkarem city, Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, and the 128th day of ongoing onslaught in Nur Shams camp.
At dawn, the soldiers invaded neighborhoods across the city and its outskirts, breaking into homes, vandalizing interiors and abducting residents. In the southern district, soldiers invaded an apartment building owned by Hakim Nasif, ransacked its units and destroyed furnishings.
Among those living there were Ahmad Abu Shanab, Abu al-Majd al-Masri and Ahmad al-Jayyousi.
The soldiers also abducted Tamer Obeid, brothers Mustafa and Nafeh Mohammad Salman (Awda), Marwan Othman Abu Jarad from Tulkarem and Yazan Sabbarini from the nearby Thannaba suburb.
In Thannaba itself, troops forcibly entered and damaged residences before abducting Yusuf Zaqout, Yusuf Abu Iskandar and Islam al-Banna.
Military restrictions tightened at local checkpoints: the ‘Anab crossing east of the city remains sealed to all vehicles, while a sudden checkpoint near the southern Jabara Bridge approach is stopping and field-searching cars, snarling traffic.
Bulldozers continued demolishing homes in Tulkarem camp for an 11th consecutive day, focusing on the Balawna, Akasha and Club quarters under a plan to raze 58 buildings there and 48 in Nur Shams, over 106 structures in total, comprising some 250 housing units and dozens of commercial outlets.
Foot soldiers and heavy vehicles maintain strict siege on both camps, deploying throughout alleys and entrances, barring residents from returning and opening fire on anyone who approaches.
Over recent weeks, more than 20 buildings in Nur Shams have been destroyed under the pretext of opening roads and altering the camps’ layout.
In Tulkarem city, armored vehicles and bulldozers operate heavily around the central market, on Martyr Thabet Thabet Hospital Street and along Nablus Street, obstructing pedestrians, sounding sirens provocatively and driving against traffic.
Israeli forces have also converted Nablus Street into a closed military zone by seizing homes and parts of the northern neighborhood opposite the refugee camp, forcibly expelling occupants as bulldozers roll in.
Earth mounds erected by the army have severely damaged Nablus Street, a key artery between Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps, while mobile roadblocks compound residents’ hardship.
The ongoing offensive has so far killed 13 Palestinians, including a child and two women, one in her eighth month of pregnancy, and wounded dozens, alongside widespread destruction of infrastructure, homes, businesses and vehicles.
The ongoing military offensive has displaced over 5,000 families, more than 25,000 Palestinians, from both refugee camps, demolished 400 homes and partially damaged 2,573 others, as entrances remain sealed and the area takes on the appearance of a ghost town.
