Israeli occupation forces withdraw from Qalandia refugee camp after two-day assault

Ramallah, Aug 7 (KUNA) -- Israeli occupation forces withdrew at dawn on Friday from the Qalandia refugee camp and the town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem, after a two-day assault that resulted in injuries, arrests, and material damage to public and private property. The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that medical teams affiliated with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society treated 51 cases, comprising 38 injuries from beatings, six treated on-site, one injured by rubber bullets, and six suffering from gas inhalation. It added that occupation forces launched a wide-ranging campaign of arrests and field investigations, with more than 60 Palestinians, including children and women, arrested, detained, or interrogated since the start of the assault. The governorate further noted that the occupation demolished seven commercial shops in the vicinity of the Qalandia military checkpoint, which separates Jerusalem from the central and northern West Bank, destroyed a commercial facility, bulldozed the courtyard of one house, and destroyed the contents of dozens of homes during search operations, while also bulldozing the facades of several shops. It cited statements from Palestinian families reporting that their homes had been burglarized, with cash and gold jewelry stolen. The Jerusalem Governorate affirmed that field realities debunked the occupation’s narrative, which sought to justify the assault by claiming it was targeting what it termed “terrorist infrastructure.” Field evidence showed that the assault was aimed at subduing and terrorizing the population and imposing military control over the camp, confirming that the true objective of the operation goes beyond the security claims promoted by the occupation. (End) N.Q./T.M.A.