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Scene. Published by IMEMC News

A wrecked car in Nur Shams after the Israeli forces withdrew from the area, on Sunday. Credit: Deiaa Haj Yahia Published by Haaretz

A destroyed home in Nur Shams. Credit: Deiaa Haj Yahia Published by Haaretz

A soldier in a Nur Shams home, earlier this month. Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit. Published by Haaretz

Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank, on Sunday. Credit: Deiaa Haj Yahia. Published by IMEMC News

Imad Jabber's organ. Credit: Deiaa Haj Yahia. Published by Haaretz

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by IMEMC News
April 21, 2024

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced, on Saturday evening, that a total of fourteen Palestinians, including two children, were shot and killed by Israeli forces in the Nur Shams camp, east of Tulkarem in the northwestern part of the West Bank and the Tulkarem camp.

On Saturday evening, the Ministry of Health announced the arrival of thirteen slain young men to the Martyr Thabat Thabet Governmental Hospital after a 50-hour-long incursion into the Nur Shams refugee camp.

For two days, the army blocked ambulance crews from entering the camp to assist the injured, however following a partial army withdrawal on Saturday evening, ambulances were able to enter the camp, specifically the Al-Eyada neighborhood, to retrieve the bodies.

The identities of those killed by the occupation army are;
Salim Faisal Abdel Latif Ghannam, 29,

Qais Fathi Nasrallah, 16, from Tulkarem refugee camp,

Ahmad Ghaleb Mahmoud Hussein Ali, 24,

Alaa Youssef Saleh Abdel Rahim, 35,

Ahmad Hossam Muhammad Shehada, 20,

Omar Saleh Nayef Abu Al-Rub, 24,

Ali Mohammad Ali Abdullah, 25,

Jihad Niyaz Nasr Jaber, 17,

Rajai Mohammad Saba Abu Sweilem, 39,

Mujahid Al-Salta,

Ali Mohammad Abdel Rahim,

Mahmoud Ghannam,

Nassim Mohammad Abdullah Musabih, 21, and

Jaafar Salim Omar, 20.

Arab 48 quoted the Israeli army spokesman who said, “Army soldiers, Shin Bet, and border guards have been working for more than 40 hours in the Nour Shams camp… We assassinated 10 terrorists, arrested 8 people, uncovered explosive devices and many weapons, and destroyed a factory for manufacturing bombs. Since the start of the operation in Tulkarm, 8 soldiers have been injured with minor and moderate injuries.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Health counted 483 martyrs in the occupied West Bank as a result of the occupation’s continued aggression since October 7, 2023.
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Israeli Operation in West Bank Refugee Camp Leaves Massive Destruction in Its Wake

Two days of fighting in the refugee camp near Tul Karm have left homes with pockmarked walls, sewage overflowing into the streets and spotty electricity. 'What happened here reminds me of 1948,' says camp resident

by Deiaa Haj Yahia for Haaretz
Apr 22, 2024 2:55 pm IDT

Just under a week after the end of Ramadan, with holiday decorations still covering the pockmarked houses, residents of the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tul Karm in the West Bank have found themselves in dire straits.

An operation conducted by Israeli security forces, which began on April 18 and lasted more than 50 hours, left massive destruction in its wake. There was no electricity or water, and sewage flowed down the camp's streets. Hours after troops left, the place remained beaten, battered and exhausted.

Evidence of the battle is everywhere. Bullets and grenades have left gaping holes in the walls of homes. Fragments of shells and LAU missiles are strewn across open spaces. The two days of fighting between the army and the militants left 14 militants dead, according to Palestinian health officials.

Witnesses say large numbers of Israeli forces entered Nur Shams in the afternoon. More than 120 vehicles carrying dozens of soldiers made their way through the narrow streets of the camp. For the next two days, residents were under siege, unable to leave their homes. Some were stuck outside the camp. The shooting was incessant, while a drone hovered above the area the entire time.

"Nearly half the houses in the camp were destroyed or damaged in the assault," Imad Jabber, a resident, told Haaretz."I was with my wife and children at home when a large number of troops entered the neighborhood, accompanied by constant gunfire."

Two young men – who he says were unarmed – took shelter in his house and were followed by Israeli soldiers, who broke in. "After we had left [the house], they [the soldiers] started tossing grenades inside the house and shooting LAU missiles. The entire house was destroyed," Jabber said. "The soldiers didn't give them a chance to speak before shooting at them."

The camp is now in a bad state. Electricity poles have fallen and cables dangle in the air, endangering passersby. The sounds of mourning can be heard all over.

Anas Hammad, another Nur Shams resident, expressed deep concern about what would happen next and wondered whether the camp could be rebuilt. "There are no official institutions to take responsibility for repairing the damage," he said.

"The Palestinian Authority treats us like second class citizens, so the burden of reconstruction is going to fall on us." The work will take months, if not years. "We'll continue to suffer the whole time from chronic uncertainty."

With the need for aid more urgent than ever, international organizations are working together with local activists to organize deliveries of food, water and medicine. "The camp has become impossible to live in, it looks like Gaza," Jabber said, adding that for the past three days his infant son had not eaten proper food.

Jabber said he believes the army's assault will only increase the anger of camp residents and lead to the opposite results that the operation intended. "As long as the army employs excessive force," he asserted, "the resistance among the young will keep growing – it's not a solution."

In his view, history teaches that the use of force has never been good for Nur Shams. "The camp hasn't known peace since 1948, yet in spite of the pain and suffering, we're still standing tall."

Shadi Qassem, whose house was hit with a LAU missile, said that "the soldiers chased after the young men, some of them unarmed. They came to the area outside our house and called on them to come out. One of them did so with his hands raised, and they shot him."

A small drone was used to blow up the home's front door, after which soldiers went up to the second floor, where there were women and small children. "I was extremely scared, and even now we're still in shock."

Amid the ruins of his home sits Jabber's electric organ, which is his only source of income. He blamed soldiers for intentionally destroying the instrument. "The organ was a symbol of strength of spirit and creativity, and now it is a memory of loss and pain," he said.

Nasat Azzam, a member of the camp's popular committee, stood in the ruins looking at a street that had changed so much over the previous week. He spoke with a broken voice. "It's still hard for us to assess the full extent of the damage," he said.

"What happened here is reminiscent of 1948 as we were told about it. Now, we've experienced ourselves," he said, saying he will continue to fight for a better future. Behind him, wafts of smoke rose from the destruction.

The IDF said in response that "IDF forces conducted an extensive operation in Nur Shams during which they fought frequent battles that included gunfire and the use of explosives. As a result, dozens of soldiers suffered light-to-medium injuries."

The army said it was unaware of any case where unarmed people were shot at by soldiers. "As more details emerge, any incidents will be investigated," it added.

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