On Thursday, hundreds of persons suspected of engaging in militant activities were detained by Israeli soldiers during a search of homes in the Nour al-Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm, according to the military.
Since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, security forces have conducted many raids on Tulkarm, which is home to one of the primary crossing sites between the West Bank and Israel.
Residents said that Israeli soldiers destroyed three houses, one of which belonged to a member of the armed militant Tulkarm Brigades, which is associated with the Palestinian organization Fatah, and detained at least 120 people.
“IDF forces continue to operate, alongside other Israeli security forces, in a broad divisional operation to suppress terrorism in the Nour al-Shams refugee camp in Menashe,” according to the military.
According to the Tulkarm Brigades, fighters and Israeli forces were exchanging gunfire.
The military reported that hundreds of people had been held for interrogation during the more than 30-hour operation. Many weapons were found and insurgent infrastructure was destroyed by troops, the report stated.
In the eighteen months leading up to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen, the West Bank has already seen the worst levels of unrest in decades; nevertheless, as Israeli forces invade Gaza, clashes have escalated dramatically.
Over the past few weeks, there have been numerous conflicts between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian deaths. Additionally, security forces have made thousands of arrests.
