Settlers rampaged through Palestinian towns destroying vehicles and property [Getty]
Israeli forces blew up a residential building inside the Tulkarm refugee camp on Friday, as settler attacks intensified across the occupied West Bank, targeting Palestinians and their property.
Witnesses reported plumes of smoke rising over the camp following the explosion, amid an ongoing Israeli offensive on the Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin camps that has lasted for more than a year, involving raids, demolitions and a tight siege.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA said a “massive explosion” was heard across Tulkarm and surrounding areas, with thick columns of smoke rising from the site inside the camp.
The blast reportedly took place in the Balawneh neighbourhood, though the extent of the damage and number of affected homes remain unclear due to inability to access the area.
WAFA added that Israeli forces have imposed a siege on the camp for 439 consecutive days, forcibly displacing its entire population and preventing residents from returning.
Homes in the camp have been seized by the Israeli army and converted into military outposts and sniper positions, with live ammunition fired at anyone attempting to enter.
Israeli forces also carried out raids and arrests across the West Bank, detaining more than 20 Palestinians.
In Jerusalem, a resident of Silwan, Mohammad Khalaf Odeh, began evacuating his home in the Al-Bustan neighbourhood as he prepared to demolish his own home to avoid heavy fines imposed by the Israeli municipality.
Elsewhere, settlers escalated attacks across multiple areas.
In the town of Mikhmas, north of Jerusalem, settlers released cattle onto Palestinian land, damaging crops. In Khirbet Tana, east of Nablus, settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, forced worshippers to leave the “Beit al-Sheikh” mosque during Friday prayers.
In the village of Yabrud, east of Ramallah, settlers attacked residents, stole a horse and livestock, and assaulted a local man. Vehicles were also targeted in several areas, with windows smashed.
Further north, near Beit Imrin, settlers attacked three Palestinians, including a woman, using stones and pepper spray, while also targeting their vehicle. In Sinjil, north of Ramallah, settlers set up mobile homes in what appeared to be a new settlement outpost.
Israeli authorities also issued an order to level 33 dunams of land in the village of Al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, including the uprooting of hundreds of fruit trees, citing “security for settlers”.
In Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, settlers opened live fire on farmers, while Israeli forces fired tear gas toward residential areas. Troops also raided the Halaq al-Rumman community west of Jericho, deploying near homes and causing fear among residents.
The Palestinian Red Crescent also said its crews treated a 21-year-old man who was shot with rubber-coated metal bullets in the thigh and back from very close range during an Israeli raid on the town of Birzeit, north of Ramallah.
