Israeli drone attack in Tulkarm refugee camp kills 5, including Palestinian commanders

An Israeli drone attack in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm and its refugee camp has killed five Palestinians, including three resistance commanders, as Israeli forces intensify their offensive in the region.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported on Tuesday that five Palestinians, including three commanders of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and a mother and daughter, were killed in Israel’s drone strike in the Tukarem refugee camp.

Several civilians were reportedly wounded in al-Hamam neighborhood as they were attacked by the Israeli drone. The Israeli force is currently blocking ambulance teams from the area, local sources revealed.

According to Palestinian media reports, the Israeli army took the bodies of the deceased fighters and refused to return them.

The Israeli air force confirmed that one of its aircraft had attacked the fighters in the Tulkarem refugee camp, amid continued exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the area.

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The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in a statement said that Israeli forces prevented them from reaching the site of the drone attack and targeted the crew who wanted to enter the refugee camp directly.

“We receive a large number of calls inside Tulkarm camp and we cannot reach the injured,” PRCS said adding that it transported 2 wounded Palestinians, who were shot by Israeli forces during armed confrontations in the camp, to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem.

“The Israeli occupation forces prevented our crews from reaching the site bombed by the occupation inside the camp" to deal with the martyrs and the injured at the location, PRCS wrote in a post on X.

This morning, Palestine Red Crescent crews transported two injured persons with live bullet wounds, one of them in critical condition, from #Tulkarm_camp. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces prevented our crews from reaching the site bombed by the occupation inside the camp…

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) July 23, 2024

Israeli forces have been reportedly been demolishing and bulldozing infrastructure in the Tulkarem refugee camp as part of a military operation that has lasted over half a day.

Meanwhile, military confrontation erupted in the areas of Qaqoun, al-Balawneh, Abu Al-Ful, and schools near the northern and western entrances, with a blockade imposed on all access points and surrounding roads, accompanied by heavy gunfire targeting any signs of movement.

Israel's bulldozing in the camp led to power and water outages, and major disruptions to the city and camp's Internet networks.

Also local sources reported that Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank town of Sa’ir.

Moreover, the Qassam Brigades has released a video showing their use of explosives on an Israeli D9 bulldozer and other military vehicles in al-Muqata'a Street.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 581 people in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its deadly war on the Gaza Strip. 

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