Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed various areas of Tulkarem in the West Bank late last night and early Thursday morning, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinians, including a child and a resistance commander.

According to medical sources, a child named Ahmed Fahmawi and a young man succumbed to critical injuries following an Israeli drone strike that targeted the main plaza of the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem at dawn.

A reporter from the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) noted that multiple IOF vehicles and three bulldozers entered Tulkarem City, patrolling the streets before advancing towards Nur Shams camp. Eyewitnesses reported that the bulldozers damaged infrastructure around the Martyr Saif Abu Labda rotary at the main entrance of the camp, razing the entrances of nearby commercial stores.

The IOF laid siege to Nur Shams camp, engaging in clashes with local youths amid explosions and the sounds of drones overhead. Residents reported power outages in Nur Shams camp, Iktaba suburb, and parts of Tulkarem City during the operation.

Additionally, last night, special Israeli forces carried out an operation in Tulkarem refugee camp that resulted in the assassination of Husam Bassam, a commander of the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing. The operation reportedly involved infiltrating the camp in a civilian vehicle, leading to intense clashes with resistance fighters.

In a statement, the al-Qassam Brigades condemned the assassination of their commander as “cowardly” and indicated that groups of its fighters in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas inflicted heavy losses on Israeli forces during the recent raids in northern West Bank. They promised to provide further details in the coming days.

The violence in Tulkarem underscores the ongoing tensions in the region, with both sides suffering casualties amid a backdrop of heightened military operations and resistance activities. (ILKHA)