Jerusalem, Feb 7 (EFE).— The Israeli army bombed the city of Tamun in the northern occupied West Bank on Friday, as its military offensive escalated, displacing more than 26,000 Palestinians in Tulkarem and Jenin, local authorities reported.
The Israeli forces carried out the air strikes for the sixth consecutive day, shelling Tamun and the Faraa refugee camp in Tubas governorate and reportedly targeting key areas and streets to intimidate residents and restrict movement, according to local sources cited by the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa.
Tamun has been under a military curfew for two days, with Israeli reinforcements entering through the Hamra checkpoint. Soldiers have reportedly raided homes and destroyed infrastructure in what Israel considers a stronghold of Hamas militants.
Kamal Bani Odeh, director of the Tubas Prisoners’ Association, said 71 Palestinians, mostly from Tamun, have been arrested in recent days. The offensive follows a Jan. 29 Israeli drone strike in the area that killed 10 militants.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a young man was injured by shrapnel in Tamun and transferred to a hospital.
Mass displacement in Jenin and Tulkarem The Israeli military’s operation in the northern West Bank has driven tens of thousands from their homes.
In Jenin, nearly 16,000 residents of the refugee camp—except for about 50 families—have fled after 18 days of Israeli military siege, Jenin Mayor Mohamed Mustafa Jarrar told EFE.
Explosions were heard in the camp overnight as Israeli forces demolished houses, Wafa reported. Palestinian health officials say at least 25 people, mostly civilians, have died since the offensive began.
In Tulkarem, where the Israeli incursion has lasted 12 days, 85 percent of the refugee camp’s population, over 10,400 people, have been displaced, according to Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil. At least three people have been killed.
Israeli forces remain deployed in both Jenin and Tulkarem, with additional reinforcements moving into neighborhoods and alleyways. Shops and businesses across the cities and refugee camps remain shuttered amid the ongoing siege. EFE
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