Israeli forces kill two Palestinian women and unborn child in Nour Shams

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, two Palestinian women and an unborn child were killed by Israeli forces during a raid on the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. One of the victims was 23-year-old Sandus Jamal Shallabi, who was eight months pregnant and died in an Israeli army shooting on Sunday morning; her unborn child also perished.

Shallabi's husband was seriously injured in the attack. The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that medical teams were unable to reach them in time due to obstruction by Israeli forces, ultimately failing to save Shallabi and her unborn child. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, calling Shallabi's death another example of Israeli forces targeting civilians.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry pointed out that Israeli forces twice obstructed the work of paramedics, first preventing ambulances from reaching the injured and then deliberately detaining an ambulance, delaying its arrival at Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital, which was also surrounded by Israeli forces. The ministry added that they are following up with international and UN agencies on the crimes of murder, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement committed by Israeli forces, in order to hold Israeli war criminals accountable.

According to Middle East Eye, journalist Khaled Bedair described the situation in the Manshiya neighborhood, east of the Nur Shams refugee camp, where a woman was killed as a family tried to flee. At the time, the couple and their two children were in a car when Israeli forces opened fire directly at them. The woman died instantly, her husband was seriously injured, and nearby residents managed to pull the children into houses on the outskirts of the community.

Later that day, Wafa news agency reported that 21-year-old Rahaf Fouad Abdullah was also killed by live bullets fired by Israeli forces in the refugee camp east of Tulkarm. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) stated that a 14-year-old child and his father were also injured by Israeli army gunfire in the camp. Wafa also reported that Israeli forces deployed reinforcements around the camp, blocking all entrances and exits. The raid was part of a broader operation targeting Tulkarm.

Suleiman Zuheiri, a resident of the refugee camp, described the siege that began on Sunday morning, with airstrikes and ground assaults targeting homes after residents were forced to leave. Israeli snipers were deployed on high-rise buildings, while bulldozers destroyed infrastructure, cutting off electricity, water, and sewage networks. Explosions were heard at the entrances of homes before soldiers stormed in. Zuheiri stated that soldiers forced people to move in the direction of Kafr Labad and Tanaba, and shot at anyone who tried to move. The camp was completely surrounded, cutting off the Nablus-Tulkarm street, the main route connecting Tulkarm to other cities, with widespread destruction along the way, including shops being bulldozed.

He reported casualties but noted that the tight siege prevented medical teams from reaching the injured. Residents fear a prolonged assault like those on the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps, leading to mass displacement. He also added that movement within the camp is impossible unless permitted by Israeli forces. People are suffering from severe shortages of supplies, complete water cut-off, and the sick, children, and pregnant women are unable to receive medical care as soldiers prevent medical teams from entering. Before expelling Palestinian refugees, Israeli forces warned them not to return home for two weeks.

On January 21, Israel launched a large-scale assault on the northern occupied West Bank, starting in Jenin and its surroundings, resulting in the deaths of 25 Palestinians. On January 27, the attacks expanded to Tulkarm, killing 5 Palestinians. On February 2, Israel launched another operation in Tamun and the Fara refugee camp in Tubas, withdrawing from Tamun a week later but continuing its offensive in the Fara refugee camp.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli forces raided the village of Nassariya, northeast of Nablus, on Sunday. At the same time, under military protection, Israeli settlers waved flags, blocked main roads, and attacked the town of Huwara, south of Nablus. Israeli security forces continue to conduct weeks-long military operations in the northern occupied West Bank, including Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas.