LONDON: Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank raised an Israeli flag over the minaret of Abu Ubaida Mosque in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm, according to the Palestine News Agency on Sunday.
The Tulkarm Directorate of Religious Affairs and Awqaf condemned the action, describing it as provocative and an assault on the sanctity of places of worship.
Israeli forces have launched several operations in the Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps in the northern West Bank since January 2025, displacing over 24,000 residents and destroying vast residential areas.
The Awqaf directorate said that the condition of nine mosques in both refugee camps is currently unknown due to a blockade, as Israel continues to prevent residents from returning home.
Israel’s “Iron Wall” operation against Palestinian militants began in the city of Jenin. It later extended to Tulkarem, marking the first deployment of the air force in the West Bank since the Second Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2004.
