The UN humanitarian agency says dozens of people have been killed in Israeli attacks, including airstrikes, over the past week.
Israeli forces are using “deadly warfare tactics” in the occupied West Bank, the UN humanitarian agency says.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on Wednesday that Israeli attacks have killed more than two dozen people over the past week, including children. The relentless raids, mainly focused on the Tulkarm and Jenin refugee camps, represent Israel’s most significant assault on the occupied territory since the second intifada in the early 2000s.
These raids resulted in significant violence and numerous arrests, while roads and other infrastructure were destroyed by Israeli military bulldozers.
OCHA said it had mobilized UN and other agencies to assess the damage and humanitarian needs on the ground.
Visiting Tulkarem on Saturday, the teams confirmed the displacement of 120 people, including more than 40 children, whose homes were destroyed, the statement said.
“At the time of the assessment, 13,000 people in Nur Shams refugee camp experienced water cuts, attributed to damage to the water network, and sewage overflows were observed. Teams also noted that the population was traumatized and in need of psychosocial support,” OCHA said.
A similar assessment team was denied access to Jenin by Israeli authorities on Wednesday.
“OCHA warns that barriers to access are impacting the ability to provide a meaningful humanitarian response. The movement of ambulances and medical teams has been hampered and delayed since the start of the week-long operation. Humanitarian access must continue to be facilitated,” the statement said.
The latest Israeli military offensive is in its eighth day in Jenin, and its third day in Tulkarem, where Israeli forces are inflicting “widespread destruction,” according to the Wafa news agency.
Citing its correspondents on the ground, the agency said that Israeli forces dropped bombs on the refugee camp, triggering fires in the al-Shamaliya neighborhood.
Israeli snipers were stationed on tall buildings, while spy drones flew and bulldozers damaged infrastructure, “leaving no street or alley untouched,” Wafa reported.
The siege of al-Israa and Thabet school also continues, he added.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s team on the ground also reported an ongoing Israeli operation in the Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah. Sources said dozens of Palestinians were arrested and questioned at local community centers.
At least 20 Palestinians were also arrested in Beit Surik. Most returned after questioning.
Other raids were reported in Qalqiliya and Nablus, particularly in the Balata and Askar refugee camps, as well as in the town of al-Khader south of Bethlehem and in the al-Azza refugee camp north of the city.
Israeli security forces have besieged Hebron for the fourth consecutive day and new checkpoints and gates have been erected.
