Israeli occupation forces have escalated their brutal military assault on the Tulkarm refugee camp, pressing forward with a wide-scale demolition campaign that has already left thousands displaced and neighborhoods in ruins.

As the assault entered its 166th consecutive day, bulldozers returned to the Al-Murabba’a neighborhood on Friday morning to demolish additional residential structures, defying both international outcry and a temporary freeze order issued by Israel’s own High Court.

According to local sources, Israeli forces are now moving to implement a sweeping plan to destroy 104 buildings—structures that together house approximately 400 Palestinian families—as part of what rights groups are calling a deliberate and systematic campaign to ethnically cleanse and depopulate the refugee camps.

Despite a court-ordered freeze on demolitions, Israeli authorities announced on Sunday that they would continue with their demolition operations unabated. The move has fueled further condemnation and highlighted the occupation’s blatant disregard for legal procedures and human rights.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces allowed a limited number of families to briefly return to 54 homes marked for demolition to retrieve personal belongings. However, the process was marred by severe restrictions and violence. Residents reported harassment, arbitrary detentions, and live gunfire directed at them during the evacuation process, creating a climate of fear and coercion.

Meanwhile, the neighboring Nour Shams refugee camp remains under tight military siege for the 153rd consecutive day. The Israeli army has expanded its offensive within the camp, deploying infantry troops and armored vehicles into key areas, including Jabal al-Nasr and Harat al-Iyada.

Eyewitnesses report that occupation troops have forcibly expelled residents from their homes, converting civilian houses into makeshift military outposts. Residents attempting to enter or exit the camp risk being shot on sight. Explosions and gunfire continue to echo from within, as the humanitarian crisis worsens.

Israeli forces have also set homes ablaze and demolished dozens of structures in recent days as they carry out a coordinated plan to level 106 buildings across the two camps. In Nour Shams alone, 48 buildings have already been reduced to rubble.

The cumulative toll of the ongoing Israeli assault on Tulkarm and Nour Shams refugee camps is staggering. Over 5,000 Palestinian families have been forcibly displaced, with more than 25,000 residents uprooted from their homes amid the destruction. At least 600 homes have been completely demolished, while an additional 2,573 have sustained varying degrees of damage. The scale of devastation reflects a systematic campaign aimed at erasing entire communities and leaving thousands of Palestinians homeless under siege.

Military checkpoints, roadblocks, and earth mounds have completely sealed off both camps, turning them into zones of siege and isolation, inaccessible to journalists, aid workers, and medical personnel.

Despite the scale of destruction and clear violations of international humanitarian law, international institutions and Western governments remain largely silent, providing political cover and impunity for Israel’s actions. Human rights organizations warn that the ongoing demolitions and expulsions constitute collective punishment, forced displacement, and potentially war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.

As the refugee camps of Tulkarm and Nour Shams continue to endure relentless assault, calls are growing louder for urgent international intervention to halt the destruction, protect civilian lives, and hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people. (ILKHA)