Israeli forces using ‘war-like’ tactics in occupied West Bank: UN
Smoke billows during an Israeli raid in Jenin, the occupied West Bank
Al Jazeera reports on 4 September 2024:
Israeli forces are using “lethal war-like tactics” in the occupied West Bank, according to the UN’s humanitarian agency.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on Wednesday that Israeli attacks have killed more than two dozen people over the past week or so, including children. The continuing raids, mostly concentrated on the Tulkarem and Jenin refugee camps, constitute Israel’s largest assault on the occupied territory since the second Intifada in the early 2000s.
The raids have seen significant violence and numerous arrests, while roads and other infrastructure have been destroyed by Israeli military bulldozers.
OCHA said it had mobilised organisations from the UN and beyond to assess the damage and humanitarian needs on the ground. Visiting Tulkarem on Saturday, the teams confirmed the displacement of 120 people, including more than 40 children, whose homes were destroyed, the statement said.
“At the time of the assessment, 13,000 people in Nur Shams refugee camp experienced water cut-offs, attributed to damages caused to the water network, and sewage overflow was observed. The teams also noted that the population was traumatized and in need of psychosocial support,” OCHA said.
A similar assessment team was denied access to Jenin by the Israeli authorities on Wednesday. “OCHA warns that access impediments are impacting the ability to provide meaningful humanitarian response. The movement of ambulances and medical teams has been impeded and delayed since the onset of the now-week-long operation. Humanitarian access must always be facilitated,” the statement said.