Israel has extended its military offensive in the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said on Monday, warning that the move is part of a larger plan of forced displacement.
Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil said the Israeli army had informed residents that its operation in the two camps would continue through May 31.
“The decision reflects a clear determination to continue this crime,” Kamil said in a statement, referring to the forced displacement of residents, home demolitions and the destruction of infrastructure.
He said the extension would further worsen the humanitarian conditions faced by residents of the two camps.
The Israeli army expanded its offensive to Tulkarem and Nur Shams on January 27, six days after launching a military operation in the Jenin refugee camp.
The Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s Department of Refugee Affairs condemned the decision, describing it as “a new episode in the ongoing aggression” against Palestinian refugee camps.
The department said the extension comes within the framework of “a policy of forced displacement and systematic destruction” pursued by Israel against Palestinians.
It added that targeting Tulkarem and Nur Shams is part of a wider Israeli plan aimed at Palestinian refugee camps as living symbols of the Nakba.
The department called on the international community, the United Nations, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council to act immediately to halt the Israeli operation and provide international protection for Palestinians.
Since October 8 2023, Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank has killed 1,138 Palestinians, injured about 11,700 others, and led to around 22,000 arrests.
