Israeli Flags in Front of Tulkarem Camp: A Scene of Ongoing Escalation (Video)

SadaNews: Israeli occupation forces continue their aggression against the city of Tulkarem and its camps, having recently hung Israeli flags at the entrance of the Tulkarem camp, a step that carries clear political implications and reveals the systematic escalation policy they have pursued for over a year against the city and its residents. This scene was not merely a symbolic act but came to reinforce an attempt to impose a new reality that entrenches control and deepens the suffering of the residents.

For 367 days, Tulkarem and its camps of Tulkarem and Nour Shams have lived through one of the longest and most brutal waves of aggression, characterized by systematic demolition, forced displacement, and a suffocating siege. Since January 27, 2025, the aggression, which began in Jenin camp, has extended to Tulkarem, where the camps have turned into areas nearly devoid of residents, following extensive destruction of infrastructure and homes, imposing a catastrophic humanitarian reality on thousands of families.

Occupation forces have not left the streets and entrances of the city throughout the year, with near-daily incursions, the erection of flying checkpoints, repeated raids on homes and shops, accompanied by field investigations and closure of main roads, which has paralyzed daily life and directly affected commercial and educational activities. The city has also witnessed repeated sieges of the government hospital Martyr Thabet Thabet and the specialized Al-Israa Hospital, along with deliberate obstruction of medical staff, in a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.

This aggression has resulted in the martyrdom of 14 citizens, including one child and two women, one of whom is eight months pregnant, in addition to dozens of injuries, while 830 cases of detention have been recorded affecting various groups. The occupation has also carried out extensive demolition operations within the camps, including the complete destruction of hundreds of residential buildings, causing partial damage to thousands more, alongside the razing of streets and destruction of water, electricity, and sewage networks, in an attempt to alter the features of the camps and obliterate their architectural and geographical structures.

The aggression has led to the forced displacement of more than five thousand families, totaling over 25 thousand citizens, of whom children constitute about 38%. They have spread out in neighboring villages and towns, with some seeking refuge in mosques, association offices, clubs, and wedding halls, enduring extremely harsh living and humanitarian conditions. Throughout the year, there have been operations of bombardment, explosion, and arson of homes, accompanied by heavy live fire, the use of sound and gas bombs, and intensified drone surveillance, in addition to the transformation of dozens of homes into military barracks and field investigation centers, accompanied by torture and threats, using citizens as human shields.

Despite the scale of destruction and suffering, the people of Tulkarem Governorate continue their steadfastness in the face of aggression, defying all difficult circumstances. After a full year of escalation, Tulkarem and its camps remain witnesses to the occupation's policy of destruction and uprooting, and to a firm Palestinian will that refuses to be broken, affirming that resistance continues no matter how long the aggression lasts.