Israel treating West Bank like a war zone, says UN, as Jenin assault continues

Israel is treating the occupied West Bank as a war zone, the UN has said, as a military assault on cities such as Jenin continues with devastating leaving dozens of Palestinians dead.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Israeli troops were using "lethal war-like tactics" in its one-week assault on Jenin, Tulkarem, and other  cities in the occupied territory, the largest since the Second Intifada.

It follows the utter devastation of Gaza from Israel's gruelling 11-month offensive with schools, hospitals, and homes bombed and 40,861 Palestinians - the vast majority civilians - killed.

"At the time of the assessment, 13,000 people in Nur Shams refugee camp experienced water cut-offs, attributed to damages caused to the water network, and sewage overflow was observed. The teams also noted that the population was traumatized and in need of psychosocial support," the OCHA said in a statement.

"OCHA warns that access impediments are impacting the ability to provide a meaningful humanitarian response. The movement of ambulances and medical teams has been impeded and delayed since the onset of the now-week-long operation. Humanitarian access must always be facilitated."

Israel launched its assault on Gaza eight days ago, with tanks, weaponised drones, and other military equipment used in the offensive and Nur Shams camp was particularly badly affected, with whole streets turned to rubble.

Palestinian families in besieged Jenin have been trapped in their homes to avoid snipers and tanks, as parts of the city are utterly gutted by Israeli military bulldozers and bombs with around 70 percent of infrastructure damaged or destroyed in the offensive, according to Al Jazeera.

There is also the danger of being rounded up by Israeli forces with one Palestinian man from a village outside Jenin dying an hour after being detained on Monday, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

Other families have fled the 'war zone' with massive destruction from the air and ground assault, and fears Israel might be trying to ethnically-cleanse the West Bank as settlement expansion continues.

At least 33 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the assault began including 30 in areas affected by the military campaign.

Most were killed during the early days of the offensive, which saw a huge uptick in Israeli airstrikes, while a 16-year-old girl was shot dead near Jenin on Tuesday.