Israeli forces kill two Palestinian women and unborn child in Nour Shams
Two Palestinian women and an unborn child have been killed by Israeli forces during a raid on Nour Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
Sundus Jamal Shalabi, 23, who was eight months pregnant, and her unborn baby were shot and killed by Israeli gunfire on Sunday morning, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Shalabi's husband was critically injured in the attack.
Medical teams were unable to save Shalabi and her unborn child due to Israeli forces blocking access, according to the ministry.
The Palestinian foreign affairs ministry said Shalabi's death was the latest example of the Israel military's targeting of civilians.
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"The occupation completed its crime by obstructing the work of the ambulance crews twice, the first time by obstructing the ambulance from reaching the injured and trying to rescue them," it said.
"And the second time by deliberately detaining the ambulance and delaying its arrival to Thabet Thabet governmental hospital, which is already besieged by the occupation forces."
The ministry added that it was following up on "crimes of murder, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement committed by the occupation forces with various international bodies and UN institutions to hold Israeli war criminals accountable".
Journalist Khaled Bdair speaking to Middle East Eye described the killing of a woman as her family attempted to flee Al-Manshiya neighbourhood, east of the Nour Shams refugee camp. The couple and their two children were in their vehicle when Israeli forces opened fire directly at them.
The woman was killed, and her husband suffered critical injuries. Nearby residents managed to pull the children to safety inside homes on the outskirts of the neighbourhood.
'When the Red Crescent Society ambulance arrived to transport them, it was held up for thirty minutes before being allowed to proceed, and then her death was announced'
- Journalist Khaled Bdair
The attack took place at dawn, and medical teams were blocked from reaching the victims until Israeli forces granted permission. They were eventually taken to Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital.
“When the Red Crescent Society ambulance arrived to transport them, it was held up for thirty minutes before being allowed to proceed, and then her death was announced,” Bdair said.
Later in the day, Rahaf Fuad Abdullah, 21, was also shot by Israeli forces with live ammunition in the camp east of Tulkarm.
She was killed instantly, Wafa news agency reported.
A 14-year-old child and the child's father were wounded by Israeli military gunfire in the camp, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
Siege and Displacement
Wafa reported that Israeli forces deployed reinforcements around the camp, imposing a blockade on all entrances and exits. The raid is part of a wider operation targeting Tulkarm.
Israeli bulldozers destroyed several streets in the camp, damaging water pipes in the Jabal al-Nasr neighbourhood.
As with previous raids on refugee camps, the Israeli army besieged neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the camp and ordered residents to evacuate.
Suleiman Zuhairi, a camp resident, described the siege, which began on Sunday morning with air and ground assaults targeting homes after their residents were forced out.
Israeli snipers positioned themselves on tall buildings while bulldozers tore through infrastructure, severing electricity, water, and sewage networks. Explosions were heard at the entrances of homes before soldiers stormed them.
“The soldiers forced people to move towards Kafr al-Labad and Thanaba, shooting at anyone who attempted to move. The camp was completely surrounded, cutting off Nablus-Tulkarm Street, the main route connecting Tulkarm to other cities, which saw extensive destruction, including the bulldozing of shops,” Zuhairi said speaking to Middle East Eye.
He reported injuries but noted that the tight blockade prevented medical teams from reaching the wounded. Residents fear a prolonged assault, like those on Jenin and Tulkarm camps, which led to mass displacement.
“Movement inside the camp is impossible unless the Israeli army allows it. People are suffering from severe shortages of supplies, a total water outage, and no access to medical care for the sick, children, and pregnant women, as soldiers block medical teams from entering,” he added.
Before expelling them, Israeli forces warned Palestinian refugees not to return to their homes for two weeks.
On 21 January, Israel launched a large-scale assault on the northern occupied West Bank, starting in Jenin and its surrounding areas, killing 25 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The aggression expanded to Tulkarm on 27 January, where five Palestinians were killed. On February 2, Israel launched another operation in Tamoun and the Fara’a camp in Tubas, withdrawing from Tamoun after a week but continuing its offensive in Fara’a camp.
Elsewhere in the West Bank on Sunday, Israeli forces stormed the village of al-Nassariya, northeast of Nablus.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers, under military protection, stormed the town of Huwwara, south of Nablus, wielding flags and shutting down main roads.
Israeli security forces continue their weeks-long military campaign across northern areas of the occupied West Bank, including Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas.
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