Israeli Military Operation Devastates Tulkarm
Palestinian residents of Tulkarm inspected the destruction left behind following an Israeli military operation in the city.
People searched for their belongings strewn amongst the rubble after strikes destroyed residential buildings and roads. Israeli forces have now withdrawn from the area.
The operation began, with hundreds of Israeli troops backed by helicopters, drones and armored personnel carriers raiding the flashpoint cities of Tulkarm, Jenin and areas in the Jordan Valley.
In Tulkarm the Israeli troops killed a local commander of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad movement in the West Bank and four other militants in a gunbattle during one of the largest assaults in the Israeli-occupied territory for months.
Clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank have escalated since Israel's war with Hamas militants began in Gaza nearly 11 months ago.
More than 660 people - combatants and civilians - have been killed, according to Palestinian tallies, some by Jewish settlers who have carried out frequent vigilante-style attacks on West Bank Palestinian communities.
Mourners marched in the funeral procession of a 62- year old man who was killed by Israeli forces in his home during a raid in Tulkarm in the Occupied West Bank.
According to Palestinian witnesses, Ayed abu Hija was shot dead by an Israeli sniper while he was in his house during the raid.
The Israeli military started one of the largest assaults in the Israeli-occupied territory for months, killing 19, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad commanders.
Clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank have escalated since Israel's war with Hamas militants began in Gaza nearly 11 months ago.
Around 671 people - combatants and civilians - have been killed, according to Palestinian tallies, some by Jewish settlers who have carried out frequent vigilante-style attacks on West Bank Palestinian communities.
