TULKAREM CITY, Palestine

The Israeli army's incursion into the Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank left massive destruction as the army's bulldozers razed and damaged hundreds of homes, according to reidents. 

The Israeli army started an offensive against the camp early Wednesday that lasted more than 45 hours and left eight Palestinians killed, and dozens injured.

The bulldozers also severely damaged the camp's infrastructure, buildings and vehicles. 

1,000 homes damaged

According to Faisal Salama, head of the popular committee in the camp, the army damaged nearly 1,000 homes, including 20 that were destroyed, while others sustained damage from minor to severe, rendering dozens uninhabitable.

"What happened in the camp is a genuine catastrophe, looks like what they -- Israeli army -- did in Gaza have been applied in Tulkarem," said Salama.

He noted that the offensive involved using drones, arrests, field investigations, forcing families to leave their homes and sabotaging the infrastructure.

"The army destroyed most of the camp's roads, the water, electricity and sewage networks, as well as the telecommunications networks," he said.

Salama noted that at least 50 Palestinians from the Tulkarem refugee camp are still detained by the army. 

Field witnesses

Meanwhile, Mohammad Salim, 68, told Anadolu about the difficult days residents went through when Israeli forces raided much of the camp's homes.

"They raided homes and turned them into military posts," said Salim.

"After the withdrawal, the camp is not as we know it, like something big happened," he added.

Ahmad Ghurab said he and his family were forced by the army to leave their home.

"I returned to my home and found it completely destroyed, they smashed everything. The electric equipment and an amount of money were stolen ... destruction is everywhere," said Ghurab.

He noted that the Israeli army demanded they leave the home and did not allow them even to take his wife's medicine.

"We were kicked out in a brutal way from our home, and three of my sons were detained," said Ghurab. 

Israeli statement

The army said Friday that its forces carried out a 45-hour operation in the Tulkarem refugee camp.

It said forces "searched nearly 1,000 homes, interrogated hundreds of suspects and arrested over 37 wanted (Palestinians)."

The army claimed to have seized more than 400 explosive devices, 27 weapons, military equipment and destroyed five labs for manufacturing explosive devices.

Tensions have been high across the West Bank since fighting broke out in Gaza on Oct. 7 between Palestinian groups and Israel.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 368 Palestinians have since been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, with more than 3,500 injured.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar