Israeli assault displaces 75% of Palestinians from Tulkarem refugee camp in West Bank

The Israeli army has displaced almost 75% of Palestinian residents from the Tulkarem refugee camp amid an ongoing military operation in the northern West Bank, a local official said on Monday.

On Jan. 21, the Israeli army launched an assault on Jenin city and its refugee camp, killing at least 26 Palestinians. The offensive was later expanded to the city of Tulkarem, where at least three Palestinians were killed.

"Almost 75% of the camp's 15,000 residents were forcibly displaced to the city of Tulkarem and neighboring towns," Faisal Salama, head of the Popular Committee for Services in the camp, told Anadolu.

He called the situation in the Tulkarem camp "extremely difficult."

Palestinian refugees in the camp "are living in dire conditions, as Israel is preventing the entry of medicine, food, and essential supplies," Salama explained.

He said the Israeli army also shut down a Red Crescent Society office in the camp, depriving Palestinians of any medical services.

The Israeli escalation in the West Bank came after a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal took hold in Gaza on Jan. 19, following 15 months of Israel's genocidal war that killed over 47,500 Palestinians and reduced the enclave to rubble.

Since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed across the West Bank in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.