Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at least 14 people have been killed during the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) operation at the Nur al-Shams refugee camp in the West Bank, CNN reported, citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that they have found a number of bodies and injured people from the camp, as the IDF has partially withdrawn from the area.
Videos captured by residents show a bulldozer destroying a building as IDF vehicles leave the camp after conducting a raid for over 24 hours. Other videos showcase ambulances entering the camp after the IDF withdraws from there.
According to residents, Israeli forces have left the immediate area. However, they continue to remain present in the nearby city of Tulkarm.
Earlier on Saturday, the IDF said its forces killed 10 ‘terrorists’ and arrested eight wanted suspects during the operation that began on Thursday.
According to Palestinian health ministry and news agency Wafa, at least one child and one teenager are among those killed. It said that the IDF has arrested young people en masse and destroyed key infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned two separate incidents involving emergency medical crews operating in the West Bank on Saturday.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestine Red Crescent Society, an ambulance driver was killed by Israeli settlers as he attempted to take injured Palestinians to safety, and another ambulance crew was detained and questioned by the IDF outside a hospital in the West Bank.
The ministry identified the driver as Mohammed Awad Allah Mohammed Musa (50). It said that Musa worked with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). Speaking to CNN, PRCS said that settlers killed him by firing on his ambulance.
In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said, “The Ministry urgently calls on international health organisations, human rights institutions, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to urgently act to curb the escalating practices of the occupation and settlers against treatment centers and medical crews and to allow them to perform their humanitarian duty.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health called the targeting of medics, ambulances, and medical staff a “blatant and clear violation of international humanitarian law, according to CNN report.
“The targeting of medics, ambulances, treatment centres, and medical staff, obstructing their movement, and preventing them from reaching the wounded, constitutes a blatant and clear violation of international humanitarian law and international norms and treaties,” the ministry said.
On Friday, the Israeli military said that several Palestinian gunmen were killed and four soldiers were wounded during a counter-terrorism raid in the West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp, close to Tulkarem, The Times of Israel reported.
The IDF said its troops and Border Police officers conducted a raid at Nur Shams overnight, during which several wanted Palestinians were detained, explosive devices were discovered, and several gunmen were killed in clashes throughout the morning.-ANI