Israel killed three Palestinians in a drone strike Thursday in Tulkarem, a town and refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
It was during an Israeli raid – an almost daily occurrence in the West Bank – on the Tulkarm refugee camp, in which Israeli troops clashed with fighters from the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, according to fighters in the city.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Israeli raids on Tulkarem:
What happened during the raid?
According to press reports, Israeli soldiers were deployed on rooftops and sent bulldozers into the camp to destroy large residential areas.
Israel also reportedly set fire to homes and prevented local emergency services from putting out the fires.
Experts say the tactics Israel is using in its raids appear to be part of a broader doctrine aimed at collectively punishing the population, apparently because pockets of armed resistance are fighting back against Israel’s ever-deepening occupation.
Why is Israel attacking people in a refugee camp?
Israel claims to be conducting “counter-terrorism” operations.
Are there “terrorists” in the camps?
Activists and experts have previously told Tel Aviv Tribune that Israel is exaggerating the threat of “terrorism” to justify the mass displacement of Palestinians and the expansion of illegal settlements.
The refugee camps scattered across the West Bank generally host Palestinian fighters loosely affiliated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) or Fatah.
The fighters say they are protecting their camps and towns from Israeli raids that aim to uproot civilians from their homes and land.
But Israel says the raids are only aimed at arresting individuals?
Shadi Abdullah, an activist who documents Israeli abuses in Tulkarem, says Israeli troops use bulldozers to destroy homes and infrastructure and also intentionally cut off basic supplies to make life difficult for the population.
Furthermore, he added, Israeli security forces cooperate with Israelis in illegal settlements and support them in their attacks on civilians.
Since Tulkarem is located between several settlements, he said, “people are constantly afraid of attacks by settlers and occupation forces.”
“Ultimately… whether there are resistance fighters or not, they (Israel) want to take our land,” Abdullah said.
Why Tulkarem?
Tulkarem has fertile agricultural land thanks to its abundance of natural water, activists and human rights groups say.
But illegal Israeli settlements built in recent years have forced Palestinian farmers and residents to rely on expensive rainwater harvesting systems and water tankers as settlers have stolen land containing water resources.
Abdullah said that the population density in the city of Tulkarem and the refugee camp is quite high due to the forced displacement of Palestinians from surrounding areas.
The destruction of residential areas during raids further increases population density, with people leaving devastated areas for areas they hope are safer.
How does Israel carry out these raids?
Israel has in the past sent forces disguised as Palestinians to reconnoiter a camp before approving a raid.
Israeli troops will then enter the camps with bulldozers to destroy schools, hospitals and homes. These heavily armoured vehicles are often accompanied by drones and helicopters for air cover.
Drones, in particular, play a significant role in Israeli raids, as they did in Thursday’s strike that killed three Palestinians.
Earlier this month, Israeli forces used drones to kill 11 Palestinians in Jenin, another West Bank city where armed resistance has emerged over the past three years.
Israel also used drones to target the Nur Shams camp on July 3, killing four Palestinians.
The use of such weapons, Abdullah explains, is part of a broader attempt to frighten a younger generation of Palestinians and prevent them from participating in armed resistance.
He added that Israel could also try to push camp residents to blame resistance fighters for the destruction.
But, according to Abdullah, this tactic is not working.
“There is no difference between civilians and armed fighters,” he said. “We are all participating in the resistance, but in different ways. Civilians do not want the fighters to stop fighting. On the contrary, they simply want the Israeli occupation to end.”
