Israeli army continues intensified operation in N. West Bank for 2nd day

The Israeli army on Friday pressed ahead with a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm for the second consecutive day, imposing tight restrictions on residents and carrying out arrests and searches, local sources said.

Local residents told Xinhua that the army lifted a curfew in the morning after it paralyzed nearly all aspects of daily life in the city on Thursday. However, shops and pharmacies remained closed, while movement was heavily restricted.

Israeli troops also raided residential buildings in Tulkarm's southern neighborhood, turning a house into a military post, demolished plastic greenhouses near the Tulkarm refugee camp, and tightened checks at checkpoints surrounding the city, they said.

Palestinian security sources said hundreds of Palestinians were taken to makeshift interrogation centers set up by the army after being stopped in shops and at public transport stations.

Videos circulated online showed Israeli soldiers forcing groups of Palestinians to walk in lines before holding them for hours.

Faisal Salameh, deputy governor of Tulkarm, told Xinhua that the Israeli actions amount to "collective punishment and humiliation" of the Palestinian population, "by detaining people from their workplaces, whether from pharmacies, offices, or even pedestrians on the streets, and taking them to field interrogation centers under harsh conditions."

The Israeli actions came a day after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that one of its military vehicles in Tulkarm was hit following "the detonation of an explosive device at the security fence."

The IDF said that its soldiers "are encircling the city, conducting roadblocks and inspections in the area" following the incident.

Thursday's incident was the first of its kind in Tulkarm in about five months, and marked the start of what the Israeli army named "Operation Iron Swords" in northern West Bank cities and camps.

In recent months, the Israeli army has conducted repeated raids in northern West Bank cities, including Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarm, claiming to pursue Palestinian militants. It also evacuated the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, displacing over 25,000 Palestinians, according to local estimates.