Ten dead as Israeli forces raid Nur Shams camp in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have raided Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank for a second day, killing ten people, including a teenager, in clashes with local militia fighters.

The Israeli assault has caused unprecedented destruction to the camp.

Dozens of people have been injured and arrested in the large-scale offensive that started on Thursday night when Israeli forces stormed Nur Shams near Tulkarm, invaded buildings and conducted arrests.

The Israeli army said in a statement on Saturday it had killed "10 terrorists" during the 40-hour raid on the camp.

Palestinians sources said a number of the dead were civilians, including 16-year-old Qais Fathi Nasrallah, the son of a paramedic from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), who was shot by Israeli forces in Tulkarm.

Video footage shared online, which The New Arab has not independently verified, shows Qais standing on an electric scooter with a group of people on a road junction, before his body falls to the ground and the crowd disperses as he is shot.

Salim Faisal Ghanem, 30, was also killed on Friday in the Nur Shams camp, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

PRCS said its teams had treated several injuries and transferred them to Thabet Thabet Government Hospital. Its ambulances had faced obstruction by Israeli forces from helping people inside the camp.

It reported that one of its volunteer medics was shot in the foot while working in Nur Shams and that Israeli forces delayed an ambulance from rescuing him.

Residents from the camp have reported major destruction by the Israeli military which included a bulldozer that tore apart buildings and shop fronts, and streets in what locals said was the worst demolition seen in decades.

More Israeli military reinforcements storm Nour Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/qVqKPhELcy

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 20, 2024

The Israeli military was targeting fighters from the Tulkarm Brigade of the Islamic Jihad group, who were engaged in clashes on Saturday, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

The West Bank towns of Beit Furik, near Nablus, and Beit Rima, near Ramallah, were also subject to raids on Saturday.

One man was injured when Israeli forces opened fire in Beit Furik, and the PRCS reported treating a man with bullet wounds to his foot.

Melanie Ward, head of UK-registered NGO Medical Aid for Palestinians, said that they were "very concerned" about the Israeli military raid in Nur Shams.

"We released medical supplies to #Tulkarem hospital in recent days," Ward wrote in a post on X.

"Attacks like this which kill, injure and destroy are becoming the norm. They must stop."

We at @MedicalAidPal are very concerned about the ongoing Israeli military raid in Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank.
We released medical supplies to #Tulkarem hospital in recent days.
Attacks like this which kill, injure and destroy are becoming the norm.
They must stop. https://t.co/UDjr4TMXM0

— Melanie Ward (@melanie_ward) April 20, 2024

Videos shared online by local media show scores of Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers heading into Nur Shams on Saturday morning. The Quds News Network reported that an ambulance was fired on by Israeli forces as it attempted to enter the camp.

Around 13,500 Palestinians live in Nur Shams in the northwest of the West Bank. It has been repeatedly invaded by Israeli forces over the years, targeting local militia groups, but deadly assaults have escalated since the start of the war on Gaza in October.

Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi said that a senior leader, known as Abu Shjoua, of the Tulkarm battalion of Islamic Jihad was killed by Israeli forces during Friday's raid.

Abu Shjoua was a key figure on Israel's hit list and had been injured during raids in December. Tirawi said that the commander was an advocate of fighting the occupation "not as an option but a duty".

At least 469 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank since the beginning of the Gaza war, according to official Palestinian sources.