Extension of "Iron Wall" operation in Tulkarm

On January 27, Israeli forces extended their "Iron Wall" operation in the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, besieging them after special forces infiltrated the Rabaya neighborhood within the camp. Snipers were deployed on the rooftops of several houses and buildings at the entrances to the camp and its surroundings. The ongoing aggression caused significant damage to infrastructure, including water, internet, and electricity networks, as well as to citizens' properties, including vehicles and commercial shops.

• Two Palestinians were killed and four others were injured in an Israeli drone shelling that targeted a vehicle at the entrance to the Nur Shams refugee camp east of Tulkarem.

• Israeli snipers, positioned in a building in the western neighborhood, opened heavy fire and struck the transformer, resulting in a power outage.

• Bulldozers and D9 destroyed the area surrounding Jamal Abdel-Nasser Roundabout in the heart of the city, along with the main water network. The demolition also extended to sidewalks and entrances to businesses in the area.

• Their D9 destroyed several vehicles parked along the sidewalks.

• They besieged the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital with Israeli military vehicles, and operated a lot of destruction (vehicle, tree, street, entrance. They prevented ambulances to join the hospital.

• They besieged the Al-Israa Specialized Hospital.

• They demolished and damaged infrastructure in the Al-Muqataa neighborhood at the western entrance to the Tulkarem refugee camp

• The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that its crews transported a 24-year-old man who was shot in the foot by live ammunition in Tulkarem. According to PRCS, Israeli forces stopped the ambulance, detained the medical team and forced them to take the injured young man to the military checkpoint west of the city.

• The injury of the young man brought the total number of Palestinians injured in Israel’s onslaught on Tulkarem today to six.

• Earlier this evening, a young man was also shot and injured in the thigh by Israeli forces' gunfire in the Tulkarem refugee camp.

• The Israeli forces raided also Shuwaika suburb north of the city, the town of Anabta to the east, and Faroun to the south, and deployed vehicles and foot patrols in various streets and neighborhoods, obstructing the movement of citizens and vehicles.

Names of the martyrs :

• Ihab Muhammad Atwi
• Ramez Bassam Damir

On January 28, the Israeli assault of the both camps intensifies, with displacement order, pressure on healthcare, snipers on rooftop.

Testominy "My aunts told me there are Israeli Genocide Army snipers scattered on rooftops all over Tulkarm. No one is leaving their home. Schools are cancelled. Tulkarm refugee camp was ordered evacuated and families are staying in local masajid. A pregnant woman in labor was turned back..."

3 injured were reported wounded by Israeli live bullets or shrapnels :

• A young Palestinian man was injured young man in the face by Israeli gunfire in eastern neighborhood. Despite the injury, Israeli forces obstructed PRCS from transporting him freely to the Thabet Thabet Government Hospital hospital holding them along with the casualty in front of a military checkpoint, west of the city, before detaining him despite he was in serious condition.

• A child was injured after being hit by Israeli army gunfire in the chest. He was subsequently rushed to a hospital in serious condition.

• A female journalist was injured by bullet shrapnel in the hand after the occupation soldiers opened live gunfire at journalists as the latter were covering the events in the city.

On January 29

• Israeli occupation forces demolished the home of martyr Tamer Fuqaha in Shuwaika, north of Tulkarm. A large military force, including a D10 bulldozer, stormed the area, deployed snipers, and carried out the demolition. Fuqaha’s family had been notified in November 2024 and given 72 hours to object. He was killed on May 4, 2024, after being accused of a shooting in November 2023 that killed an Israeli soldier. The demolition comes as part of an ongoing Israeli assault on Tulkarm, now in its third day, causing casualties, arrests, and widespread destruction.Israeli forces have intensified their operations in Tulkarem camp, imposing a complete blockade, deploying foot patrols, and forcing residents to leave their homes.

• According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Israeli occupation forces storm a Red Crescent ambulance center in Tulkarm and conduct searches at the center in the occupied West Bank.

On the week end of February 2–3, 2025

• Israeli occupation forces have besieged Tulkarm and its camp for the eighth consecutive day. More military vehicles and infantry patrols have been deployed.

• On 3 february, At dawn, Israeli forces raided homes in Ezbet al-Tayah, south of Tulkarm, detaining five young men, including two brothers. Homes in the camp were raided, residents expelled, and buildings turned into military outposts for snipers.

• Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and Israa Specialized Hospital remain under siege.Ambulances and medical crews are obstructed, searched, and interrogated.

• Red Crescent headquarters in central Tulkarm was raided and closed.Humanitarian workers were attacked and detained while evacuating elderly civilians.

• Homes and businesses were vandalized, looted, and destroyed. Vegetable stalls in the central market were crushed by military vehicles. Bulldozers caused widespread destruction, leading to a collapse of water, electricity, and communication services. Humanitarian Crisis

• Severe shortages of food, medical supplies, drinking water, and baby formula. The elderly, sick, women, and children are particularly affected. A Red Crescent team rescued an elderly man trapped for seven days without food or water.

• Sniper Attacks : Israeli forces stationed in seized buildings fired at civilians, injuring a 40-year-old man.

Threats and hindrances: Threatening leaflets were distributed in the hospitals' emergency areas, and Israeli forces hindered ambulance operations, conducting body searches and identity checks on staff and patients.

Targeting and damage: Snipers have been positioned inside homes, targeting residents with direct gunfire, while significant damage has been done to the camp's infrastructure and both public and private properties.

• A 70-year-old man was shot in the feet by Israeli forces in the Tulkarem refugee camp on Wednesday evening. PRCS teams responded to the medical emergency and transported the injured man to the Martyr Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital. The injured man was detained by Israeli forces while being transported by medical staff.

• A 54-year-old man sustained head injuries from shrapnel.

• A 52-year-old man was shot in the abdomen.

• A child was severely injured by a live bullet to the chest in the western neighborhood of Tulkarem city and was transferred to hospitals in Nablus for further treatment. He has been identified as 11-year-old Saddam Hussein Iyad Rajab. He remains in very critical condition during one week and finaly died on February 7.

The status report on February 12

The Israeli aggression on Tulkarm city and its camp has continued for the 17th consecutive day, with the fourth day of aggression in the Nour Shams camp.

• The siege on Tulkarm and Nour Shams camp continues, with forced displacement of residents, house raids, and arrests.

• The Israeli forces sent more military reinforcements to the area, including infantry deployed across neighborhoods, and the use of live ammunition and reconnaissance aircraft.

-Israeli forces raided the "new" Othman bin Affan Mosque in Tulkarm city, arresting displaced citizens. They also arrested Bader Hakam Hijazi from his home and two women (Ruba Al-Saed and Sireen Saidi) in early morning raids.

• A young man was injured by gunfire in Kafr Al-Labad, east of Tulkarm.

• The occupation forces are still imposing a siege on the eastern neighborhood of Tulkarm, particularly near the camp. Three buildings are being used as military barracks and sniper positions, preventing citizens from leaving their homes.

• Residents in the besieged area have called for urgent action from organizations like the Red Cross and Red Crescent to provide food, health services, and facilitate movement.

• A house belonging to the al-Awfi family was burned.Additional homes around the camp were seized and turned into military barracks and sniper positions.

• The Jabara Bridge at the southern entrance to Tulkarm has been closed for the fifth consecutive day, separating the city from the villages of Al-Kafriyat.

Mass Displacement in Nour Shams Camp: There has been a new wave of displacement in Nour Shams camp, with dozens of families being forced out under threat and intimidation, amid live ammunition fire and explosions.

• Israeli forces raided homes, destroyed their contents, and arrested residents.

• Bulldozers have destroyed infrastructure in several neighborhoods of Nour Shams camp, including Jabal al-Nasr, al-Salihin, al-Manshiya, and al-Maslakh, as well as Nablus Street.

Humanitarian Crisis: Residents unable to leave their homes on the outskirts of the camp have appealed for food, water, medicine, and baby milk, as basic services like water, electricity, and communications have been cut off due to destruction of infrastructure.

On February 18, the 23rd Day of Tulkarm Invasion

Israeli forces attacked and targeted Palestinians with smoke bombs as they tried to recover their belongings from their homes threatened with demolition orders in Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank.

They starting demolishing 16 Palestinian residential buildings under the pretext of expanding streets, amid the ongoing assault on the camp.

At this date, at least 12 Palestinians have been killed since January. Local sources stated that the Israeli forces have forced more than 10,000 Palestinians, nearly 80% of the camp’s population, to be displaced forcibly to towns and villages in the Tulkarem Governorate.

On February 20, 2025

• Teacher Ahmad Awad was killed after an Israeli occupation vehicle rammed into the car he and his wife were in today in Tulkarm. With Awwad's passing, the number of Palestinians killed in Tulkarm and its refugee camps during the ongoing Israeli offensive, now in its 26th day, has risen to 12. Among the casualties are a seven-year-old child and two women, one of whom was eight months pregnant.

• Coordinated bomb attacks on 3 empty buses in Tel Aviv occurred with an unexploded device labeled 'in retaliation of Tulkarm.' This appears to many observers as an Israeli 'false flag' operation, providing a pretext for violent collective punishment of West Bank and its annexation.

On February 24, 2025

Israeli forces have been attacking Tulkarem city and its refugee camp for 29 consecutive days (Nur Shams refugee camp has been under siege for 16 straight days) while heavy military reinforcements were deployed, including infantry units.

• Israeli troops forcibly entering homes, destroying interiors, and converting vacant houses into military outposts. Raids in Dhannaba area, east of Tulkarem, with searches but no reported arrests.
• Severe restrictions on movement in and out of the refugee camps.Nablus Road blocked by military vehicles, disrupting traffic and movement. Jubara checkpoint closed for the 17th consecutive day, cutting off Tulkarem from surrounding villages. Relief teams blocked from delivering essential supplies (food, water, medicine, infant formula) worsening conditions for trapped civilians, especially women, children, and the elderly.
• Bulldozers and D9 destroyed electricity, water, and communication services disrupted.

-> Human rights organizations warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis. Appeals for urgent international action to end the siege and allow aid deliveries.

On March 15

The Israeli military offensive in Tulkarm has entered its 48th day, with forces forcibly displacing the remaining residents of the Muraba'at Hannoun neighborhood in the refugee camp. Troops raided homes, giving residents only minutes to leave under threats of violence, while warning of impending bulldozer and tank deployments. Many displaced individuals, including the elderly and sick, face dire humanitarian conditions. Israeli forces also raided other homes, causing property damage and seizing houses as military outposts. The offensive has led to the mass displacement of around 12,000 people, who are now seeking shelter elsewhere.

On March 26

Israel’s 58-Day Siege of Tulkarm Leaves Devastation in Its Wake", transforming entire neighborhoods into war zones.

• Armored vehicles patrol the streets, and soldiers occupy homes, evicting families at gunpoint to set up military bases.

• Over 4,000 families have been displaced, with Israeli bulldozers destroying or damaging nearly 3,000 homes. Many are now homeless.

• The human toll is severe—13 civilians have been killed, including a child and a pregnant woman, while dozens more have been injured or arrested during raids.

• Streets that once bustled with life are now in ruins, with barricades, destroyed vehicles, and burnt shops. Basic necessities are scarce, and movement is restricted by arbitrary checkpoints and detentions in Nur Shams camp. Israel's tactics, including home seizures, forced evacuations, and property destruction, amount to collective punishment and violate international law. Despite this, global reactions have been muted, allowing the military's campaign to continue.

• The people of Tulkarm face an existential threat, with their camps now resembling ghost towns. Schools and clinics are closed, and survivors feel the erasure of their homes and identity.

At the end of March, another reason evoked to demolished the camp and create wide corridor inside it comes from the X account of @BenTzionMacales :

"How can you tell when a "refugee camp" has turned into a terrorist base? Before large-scale operations against terrorists from various factions began, but after the security situation in Samaria started to deteriorate, militants began concealing their movements within the camps from the eyes of the IDF by placing black sheets over the alleys. In photos published before the launch of Operation Iron Wall, extensive covering of the alleys in the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps could be seen. Until the operation, every IDF activity in the camps included removing these sheets, but they would be put back afterward. Creating corridors within the camps will help put an end to this phenomenon."

On April 12-13, 2025

In Tulkarm City

▪️ Israeli forces have continued their assault on Tulkarm city for the 76th consecutive day. ▪️ More than 800 civilians—including women and children—were forcibly evacuated from residential buildings in the northern neighborhood facing Tulkarm Camp. ▪️ Five buildings housing dozens of families, including those displaced from Tulkarm and Nour Shams, were seized and converted into military positions. ▪️ Occupation forces took over additional homes on Nablus Street and in the northern city, turning them into outposts and surrounding them with vehicles. ▪️ Checkpoints have intensified, especially along Nablus Street and the Jabara Bridge gate, restricting movement. ▪️ Heavily armed forces, including “Eitan” armored carriers, stormed the city and stationed near Al-Salam roundabout, stopping vehicles and checking IDs. ▪️ Bulldozers carried out destruction near the Zeinat gas station and other areas, damaging streets and civilian infrastructure. ▪️ Nablus Street remains heavily militarized, with dirt mounds blocking access in both directions. ▪️ Raids were carried out in the Thannaba neighborhood and Deir Al-Ghusoun. Homes were vandalized and residents detained, interrogated, and abused.

Casualties and Displacement

▪️ 13 Palestinians have been martyred, including a child and two women—one of them eight months pregnant. ▪️ Dozens have been injured or arrested since the start of the campaign. ▪️ Over 4,000 families from Tulkarm and Nour Shams Camps have been forcibly displaced, along with dozens more from the northern city neighborhoods. ▪️ 396 homes have been completely destroyed and 2,573 partially damaged in Tulkarem and Nour Shams. ▪️ Dirt barriers continue to seal off entrances and alleyways in both camps.

On July 7, 2025

Testimony of a woman displaced from Tulkarm Refugee Camp, describing her and her friend's family's experience:

"I am still displaced. Last month was the most heartbreaking time in my life. We were asked to return to the camps, take all of our belongings, and forget about our homes. They intend to demolish everything, maybe this is because they intend to formally annex the West Bank. So many houses were turned into ruins. And the houses that were not demolished, the IDF vandalized everything, and left the homes in uninhabitable condition. We were forced to take off our shoes and walk barefoot. They were yelling at us, cursing, pointing guns as if we were criminals. We were subject to a very inhumane treatment, whether in this situation, or during the sudden IDF raids in the middle of the night. Now, no one is allowed to come near the areas they have taken over. Otherwise, he will be sniped off. We have heard that more demolitions are planned to happen. Some of these demolitions happened on the first day of Eid. My heart is shattered."

And here she describes her friend's testimony: "After expelling her family, the soldiers called her husband, and cursed at him in Hebrew and asked for the Wi-Fi password. She told me that the family had just charged the prepaid electricity with 550 shekels. This amount of money would normally last five to six months. The soldiers used it up in less than a week. Then they called her husband again, cursing at him, and they ordered him to top it up. She described the massive destruction and vandalism that they caused. The soldiers had urinated in all the corners of the house, thrown all the types of trash everywhere, scribbled on the walls, stubbed cigarettes out on the furniture, tossed items outside (including electrical equipment, cooking items, utensils, mattresses), and burned the family photo albums, and so many other things. Palestinian women deeply cherish their cup and saucer sets, and they often treat them as very precious and treasured possessions. These sets are typically kept in a safe place for the most important guests and are passed down from one generation to the next. Yet the soldiers, who seem to be fully aware of how precious these items were to the woman, deliberately threw them out the window, and they were completely shattered."

On July 8: The Israeli Public Prosecution is appealing a court decision to halt the demolition of more than 100 buildings in Tulkarm camp, equivalent to 400 apartments. Israeli bulldozers resumed demolition operations in the camp today after demolishing more than 100 apartments.

On September 11, Israeli forces have arrested more than 1,000 Palestinians, a campaign that rights advocates and local officials describe as collective punishment after an improvised explosive device wounded two Israeli soldiers.

Data from the Tulkarem Media Committee indicate that more than 600 homes were completely destroyed in recent assaults on Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps, with partial damage to about 2,573 others.