Israeli forces withdraw from Tulkarem after most intense West Bank raids in decades

The Palestinian state news agency, Wafa, reports that Israeli forces have withdrawn from Tulkarem city and its two refugee camps – Nur Shams and Tulkarem – after a 48-hour operation that killed four local people and inflicted widespread destruction on civilian property and infrastructure.

After the withdrawal late on Thursday night, ambulance and civil defence crews were able to enter Nur Shams camp, where Israeli soldiers had raided and ransacked houses, setting some on fire, and interrogated residents during the most intense Israeli incursion into the occupied West Bank in decades.

According to Wafa, water and sewage networks in the camp have been severely damaged, as well as homes, shops and other commercial properties.

Israeli forces withdrew earlier on Thursday from the Far’a refugee camp south of Tubas, where four people were also killed and civilian property and infrastructurede stroyed.

Wafa also reported new raids and arrests in the following areas:

When Tony Blinken visits Israel, escalation ensues

Max Blumenthal and Aaron Maté discuss US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to the Middle East and its consequences.

"They Want Palestine Empty": Artist in Jenin Blasts U.S. Support for Israel Amid West Bank Assault

At least 18 Palestinians have been killed and 30 more wounded in the occupied West Bank, where Israel has launched its largest military operation in two decades. Israeli forces have simultaneously raided four cities and refugee camps in the north, with hundreds of soldiers backed by armored vehicles, bulldozers, fighter jets and drones.

Much of the violence has been centered on Jenin, a frequent target of raids by Israeli forces, but this latest military operation is the largest since the Second Intifada. Ahmed Tobasi, artistic director at the Freedom Theatre in Jenin refugee camp, says Israel's tactics are about "punishing the people, punishing the civilians," with an ultimate goal of ethnic cleansing. "They want Palestine empty from Palestinians."

He also calls on the U.S. public to speak out against continued military support for Israel, saying the killings in both Gaza and the West Bank are only possible because Israel has "the green light from the U.S. government."

Unfortunately the Israeli propaganda is still powerful enough to dupe most of the US public

https://globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/americans-fear-recent-assassinations-middle-east-will-spark-wider

Americans about Equally Split on Whether Israeli Military Action Justified or Not

US propaganda still works as well

https://globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/americans-see-united-states-playing-positive-role-middle-east

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/29/politics/israel-gaza-americans-poll-chicago/index.html

Nearly 11 months into Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, 60% of Americans want the United States to keep up its military support for Israel until the hostages held by Hamas are freed, according to new polling from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs that was exclusively provided to CNN.

World failing Palestinians as it failed victims of genocide in Rwanda, Bosnia: UN expert

The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory has equated the world’s failure to protect Palestinians from Israeli atrocities to earlier failures in protecting victims during the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia.

In a post on social media, Francesca Albanese said violence against Palestinians was “predictably” escalating in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem where 637 people – including 151 children – have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since October.

Albanese described as “deeply alarming” Israel’s foreign minister saying that the occupied West Bank should be treated the same as Gaza – where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in 11 months of war waged by Israeli forces.

“Are we blind to history repeating?” Albanese asks.

“The world’s failure to protect Palestinians echoes its failures with Bosnians and Tutsis, despite promises made after the Holocaust to prevent such atrocities,” she said.

“Human rights are being buried altogether, one by one.”

EMERGENCY IN THE WEST BANK & EAST JERUSALEM:
Predictably, violence against all Palestinians under Israel's unlawful occupation is dangerously escalating. In the past 11 months, Israeli forces have killed 637 Palestinians, including 151 children, amid military assaults, raids,…

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 29, 2024

Five Palestinian children killed in occupied West Bank since Sunday: Advocacy group

Child rights advocacy group Defence for Children International has again called for an arms embargo to be placed on Israel as Israeli forces killed five more Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank this week.

The slain Palestinian boys include two 13-year-olds, a 15-year-old, and two 17-year-olds, Defence of Children International – Palestine (DCIP) said in a statement, calling for action against Israel to stop the “relentless killing of Palestinian children”.

On Sunday night, Mosab Hassan Ali Moqasqas, 17, was shot and killed by Israeli forces north of Salfit city in the West Bank.

On Monday night, Mohammad Ahmad Mohammad Elian, 13, and Adnan Aysar Adnan Jaber, 15, were killed by an Israeli drone-fired missile in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem city.

Then, on Wednesday, two brothers – Murad, 13, and Mohammad Masoud Mohammad Na’ja, 17 – were killed by Israeli drone fire in the Far’a refugee camp in the north of the West Bank.

“Years of systemic impunity has created a situation where Israeli forces kill Palestinian children without limit or consequence,” DCIP’s Ayed Abu Eqtaish said.

“As Israeli forces bomb and starve Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip”, Abu Eqtaish said, they are now also “targeting children in the occupied West Bank with lethal force”.

🧵Thread: Israeli forces have killed five Palestinian boys in the occupied West Bank since Sunday.

Nowhere is safe for Palestinian children. Countries should enact an arms embargo immediately to force the Israeli military to stop its relentless killing of Palestinian children.

— Defense for Children (@DCIPalestine) August 29, 2024

Three killed following Israeli strike on vehicle in Jenin

Three people have been reported killed following an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the town of Zababdeh near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, according to local media reports.

Earlier, we reported that Israel’s military said one of its aircraft had “attacked a terrorist squad” in Jenin following an “encounter with security forces”. Footage reportedly of the aftermath of the strike shows a car engulfed in flames.

⭕️ فيديو
قوات الاحتلال تعتقل الشاب أسيد لبادة بعد اقتحام منزله في مدينة نابلس قبل قليل pic.twitter.com/9uULUJpahW

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) August 30, 2024

Al-Quds Brigades reports fierce clashes in Jenin

The Jenin Battalion of the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad says its fighters are battling the Israeli forces in what it called “the merging axis” in the occupied West Bank city.

Fighters “are showering the occupation forces with heavy volleys of bullets, achieving direct hits”, it said on Telegram.

“Our fighters were able to detonate a pre-prepared explosive device in a D9 military bulldozer in the merging axis, achieving confirmed injuries among the bulldozer crew,” the group added.

Israeli army says it struck fighters in Jenin

The Israeli military says an aircraft attacked fighters during an encounter with the Israeli forces in Jenin, without giving further details.

Palestinians pick up the pieces in Nur Shams after marathon raid

_{A Palestinian man inspects damaged houses following an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams, Tulkarem, August 30}

Nur Shams refugee camp, [which Israeli forces recently withdrew from], has turned into a kind of open-air workshop.

Palestinian Civil Defence teams are trying to fix some of the damage from the Israeli raid. There is massive damage in an area that has already seen a lot of destruction. The roads have been destroyed to such an extent that movement is even more complicated.

Sometimes it is difficult to fix the damage. If Palestinians fix one water line here, one electricity line there, the Israeli forces might be back very soon to ruin them again.

Palestinians say Israel wants to make sure their lives, particularly in the refugee camps, get more complicated, giving them no option but to leave. But people talk about defiance a lot. They say they know Israeli forces want to make their life more difficult … and that’s exactly why they’re here to stay.

_{Children pass by a damaged house following an Israeli military raid in Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank, August 30}

Nur Shams resident says they will not be pushed out

Al Jazeera has spoken to residents of the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank following a two-day raid by the Israeli military. They described heavy damage to the camp, with torn-up roads making transportation difficult.

One resident, Numan Hassan, said Israel’s recurring violent raids are part of a strategy to “expel people” from the camp. “It’s not working,” Hassan said. “Yes, some families left out of fear [during the raid], but they returned.”

People check the devastation in Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied-West Bank, August 30

Israeli forces make five arrests in Hebron, Ramallah

The Israeli military has carried out more raids and arrests near Hebron and Ramallah, reports the Wafa news agency. In Hebron governorate, Israeli forces detained three people from the towns of Kharas, Dura and Hebron, according to the news agency.

Near Ramallah, the forces apprehended a young man and woman from the town of Ni’lin and village of Jifna, after searching their homes, said Wafa.

Israeli army says it killed head of Hamas in Jenin

The Israeli forces, under the direction of the Israeli intelligence, have killed Wassam Hazem and two other armed fighters in the occupied West Bank city, according to a military statement. The three were killed in an exchange of fire with troops which was followed by an air attack, it added.

Hazem was involved in carrying out and directing shooting and bomb attacks as well as promoting other activities of Hamas in the West Bank, the army said. Misra Mesharka and Arafat Amer, the other two fighters that were killed, operated under Hazem and were involved in shooting attacks, according to the statement.

Weapons and funds were seized in the vehicle and on the bodies, the army also said, adding that there were no casualties on the Israeli side.

Qassam Brigades confirms killing of commander

The armed wing of Hamas has said Wissam Ayman Hazem was killed in an aerial bombing after clashing with the Israeli forces in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. A statement on Telegram also confirmed the death of two other members, Maisarah Masharqa and Arafat Amer, in the attack.

UNRWA suspends services to several camps in the occupied West Bank amid Israeli raids

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, has stated on X that Israeli security forces’ operations in the north of the occupied West Bank “continue impacting Palestine Refugees”.

“Tens of thousands of people in four refugee camps have been impacted by this operation, including through destruction of public and private infrastructure,” he said, adding that the UN has had to suspend “services to the communities in several camps”.

Israeli security forces’ operations in northern #WestBank continue impacting Palestine Refugees.

Among the people reported killed are children & one person with disabilities.

More than 150 Palestinian children were killed in the West Bank since the war started on 7 October…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 30, 2024

Impact of Israel’s West Bank raids

Israel’s military has ramped up arrests, demolitions and violent attacks in the occupied West Bank during the Gaza war. The result is tens of thousands more Palestinians injured, killed, displaced or in prison.

Israeli authorities forcibly disappearing Palestinians, says prisoners group

The Palestinian Prisoners Society has accused Israeli authorities of forcibly disappearing Palestinians from Gaza, claiming they have not provided clear information on the number of detainees taken from the enclave or how many have been killed in custody.

In a statement, the Palestinian prisoners group appealed to the international community to hold Israeli accountable for these “crimes”.

In early August, Israel’s prison administration confirmed it had at least 1,584 detainees from Gaza, according to the prisoners group, which said it was likely an undercount.

Israel’s West Bank presence is ‘unlawful’: UN rapporteur

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, says Israel’s claim that its raids in the occupied West Bank are justified under the law of self-defence “has no validity”.

In a post on X, she said that 20 years ago, the International Court of Justice determined that Israel “could not invoke self-defence under article 51 of the UN Charter to justify its Wall in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt)”.

“This past July, the Court indicated that Israel’s very presence in the oPt is itself unlawful”.

“Israel’s perversion of the law on self-defence must be recognized for what it is: a brazen attempt to provide an imprimatur of ‘legality’ to the maintenance of its unlawful aggression against the territorial integrity and political independence of the State of Palestine”, she said.

SELF-DEFENSE?
Israel claims that what it is doing in the West Bank is justified under the law of self-defence. This claim has no validity.
Twenty years ago the @CIJ_ICJ determined that Israel could not invoke self-defence under article 51 of the UN Charter to justify its Wall in… https://t.co/81dSjf5rxW

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 30, 2024

Israel brought ‘systematic brutality’ from Gaza to West Bank: Turkish FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says, “Israel is not only committing genocide in Gaza, but it is now extending this war to the West Bank, Lebanon, and potentially other nations it deems as enemies which we cannot know or predict.”

Fidan said at a joint news conference with his Slovenian counterpart in Ljubljana that Israel has been carrying out occupation, oppression, cruelty and massacre in the region and called on the international community to stop Israeli crimes being committed in the Palestinian territory.

“The Netanyahu government continues to play with fire. It is endangering the future of the entire region to maintain its position. Everyone who remains silent on the Gaza issue, especially those who support Israel unconditionally, is under a burden. Israel’s barbarity must finally come to an end,” he said.

The minister also called on the international community to use all available diplomatic pressure mechanisms to stop the war.

Israel ‘replacing Indigenous Palestinians with the colonial settlers’

Saleh Hijazi, apartheid-free policy coordinator for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, says Israel is a “settler colony” that is intent on “replacing Indigenous Palestinians with the colonial settlers”.

“It does so through genocide like in Gaza, … through ethnic cleansing like we’re seeing right now in the north, west, and middle of the occupied West Bank, and through apartheid against all of the Palestinian people,” Hijazi told Al Jazeera.

He called on the international community to boycott Israel for its 76 years of “criminal activity, the systematic killing, systematic torture, and systematic destruction of poverty and livelihood”.

Finland slams Israel’s forced eviction of Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The escalation of Israeli military offensives in Jenin is exacerbating an already fragile situation, Finland’s Foreign Ministry said.

“The expansion of settlements as well as the alarmingly increased settler violence and forced evictions of Palestinians are against international law and run counter to international efforts to de-escalate the situation,” it told Anadolu Agency.

“We are concerned by the increased violence in West Bank and are monitoring the situation closely. We urge all parties to de-escalate the situation and refrain from provocative actions and statements.”

When will we see the end of this bothsidesism... Does Finland call on Ukraine to stop defending itself and stop resisting occupation as well? Of course not. For once have the balls to call out Israel instead of this 'all parties' nonsense. This is a war against civilians.

Life at a standstill in Jenin during Israeli raids, settler attack

Right now all eyes are on Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp where an unannounced curfew is in place. Nobody has been able to leave their home. Anybody attempting to do so is being shot at by Israeli forces, residents tell us.

Nearby in Huwara, further to the south in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli settler took to the street, shot at Palestinians in that street, and was protected, as per usual, by Israeli soldiers, bringing life in that main artery also to a halt.

Infrastructure in occupied West Bank cities ‘decimated’

What has happened to the population is that life has come to a halt. The infrastructure is decimated. People have no access to water or electricity.

Schools are about to open, and when you have families gathering their essential documents, thinking of where they can seek refuge outside of those areas, it’s very difficult to be planning for the first day of school.

So in many ways, life has been upended in the northern West Bank. If people work in Ramallah for example and their homes are in Nablus or in Jenin, they haven’t been to work for three days.

Internet remains down in Jenin: Watchdog

NetBlocks says internet connectivity in the occupied West Bank city remain “limited” for a second day in a row as result of power outages that also impacted telecommunication services.

Earlier, an “unannounced curfew” was in imposed on Jenin city and the Jenin refugee camp.

Residents of Jenin face food and water shortages

Witnesses who spoke to Al Jazeera say Israeli forces imposed a siege while banning the movement of Palestinians, including those with chronic and serious diseases from receiving treatment. Residents of the eastern neighbourhood of Jenin face severe shortages of food and water, they say.

Israeli forces raided homes in the area, leading to women being taken away in ambulances and the detention of children and young people.

‘Disaster in the making’: EU top diplomat blasts Israeli assault

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says Israel’s deadly assault on the occupied West Bank is ratcheting up tensions during a delicate period.

The military’s “large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank is worsening an already tense situation”, Borrell said in a social media post.

“Any escalation is a disaster in the making. Israel genuine security concerns cannot justify civilian casualties and the destruction of infrastructures, especially water and sewage systems.”

The IDF large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank is worsening an already tense situation. Any escalation is a disaster in the making.

Israel genuine security concerns cannot justify civilian casualties and the destruction of infrastructures, esp. water and sewage systems.

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 30, 2024

What genuine security concerns? Protecting and assisting Settler terrorism?

Israeli forces obstructing crews from working in West Bank

The director of ambulance and emergency at the Palestinian Red Crescent has spoken to Al Jazeera about the continuing Israeli operations and its impact on their on-the-ground work.

Here are is a summary of their translated comments:

Israeli troops seize home in Jenin: ‘Find alternative arrangements’

Jaber Abu Raih, a Palestinian resident of Jenin, walked with his wife and children out of the besieged area to escape the Israeli military onslaught.

“The Israeli army stormed into our house bringing their equipment, food, and everything they needed, turning our home into a military post,” Abu Raih said. “The army told us to ‘find alternative arrangements [to live]. This is going to be a long ordeal.’”

Describing conditions in eastern Jenin, he added, “The destruction is vast. The army is waging a real war. Residents are left without food, medicine, or water.” Gunfire and explosions are continuing in Jenin late Friday.

Israeli cabinet approves continued presence of soldiers on Philadelphi Corridor: Report

Israel’s government has approved the continued presence of its soldiers along the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza, believing the move will strengthen its negotiating position in ceasefire discussions with Hamas, the Haaretz newspaper reports.

Haaretz, citing sources present at a cabinet meeting on Thursday night, said eight members supported the move, while Defence Minister Yoav Gallant opposed it, and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir abstained.

The report suggested those in favour of the move at the meeting argued it would make a deal more likely as Hamas would be forced to compromise on the issue.

The Philadelphi Corridor is the narrow strip of land separating Egypt and southern Gaza. Israel has claimed the area was used to smuggle weapons to Hamas prior to October 7, facilitating the attack on southern Israel.

Captives’ families slam Netanyahu for Philadelphi Corridor decision

A statement from a group representing the families, carried by Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, has denounced the recent Israeli security cabinet decision to leave troops in the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land running along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.

“After almost a year of neglect, Netanyahu does not miss an opportunity to make sure that there will be no deal” for the release of their loved ones, the statement reads.

“There is not a day when Netanyahu does not act in a real way to endanger the return of all the abductees home.”

The presence of Israeli troops in this area has become a major sticking point in ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, and as we reported earlier, the cabinet voted overwhelmingly to approve the presence of troops there.

Israeli delegation leaves truce talks in Qatar: Report

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the Israeli negotiating team that attended truce talks in Qatar has returned to Israel.

The newspaper said the delegation which travelled to Qatar on Tuesday included representatives from Shin Bet, Israel’s internal intelligence service, Mossad, its foreign intelligence agency and the Israeli military.

Haaretz, citing Israeli sources, reported that there had “been no breakthroughs in the talks thus far regarding the red lines set forth by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu“.

These included the issues of inspections at the Netzarim route, the presence of Israeli forces on the Philadelphi Corridor, and the manning of the Rafah crossing.

Hamas has blamed Israel and Netanyahu for the lack of progress during the talks, with the PM accused of imposing new demands and not being serious about reaching a ceasefire.

Israeli government extends reservists order: Reports

Israeli newspaper Haaretz and Israeli Army Radio report that the Israeli government has extended an order permitting the recruitment of 350,000 reservists until the end of 2024.