Israeli army demolishes UNRWA office in West Bank

The Israeli army on Thursday demolished an office of the UN agency for Palestine refugees in the Nur Shams camp, east of Tulkarm city in the northern West Bank, reported Xinhua.

Nihad al-Shawish, head of the camp's services committee, told Xinhua that Israeli bulldozers demolished the office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the middle of the camp.

He said that the camp includes two UNRWA schools, one for girls and the other for boys, which provide educational services to more than 1,500 students.

The camp also contains a health center that provides primary health care services, including reproductive health services, infant and child care, vaccinations and medical checkups, and a dental clinic, all run by the UNRWA office, he said.

So far, the Israeli side has not commented on the incident.

On Monday, the Knesset, Israel's parliament, passed a law prohibiting UNRWA from operating in Israel.

Meanwhile, an Israeli warplane fired on Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, targeting the third floor of the hospital building and setting its medicine warehouse on fire, the Gaza-based health authorities reported on Thursday, said Xinhua.

The burned warehouse contained medical supplies received five days ago from the World Health Organization, the authorities said in a press statement.

The statement condemned the repeated attacks by the Israeli army on the hospital, calling on international organizations to protect hospitals and medical staff from Israel's "brutality" and "crimes."

Local sources and eyewitnesses told Xinhua that the Israeli army withdrew from the hospital on Saturday evening, leaving eight Palestinians dead and extensive damage to the facilities.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army on Thursday continued its ground operation in the Jabalia camp, northern Gaza, for the 27th consecutive day, saying its operation in Jabalia and its surroundings aims to prevent Hamas fighters from reorganizing their ranks to launch more attacks.

In addition, Munir al-Barash, director general of the Gaza-based health authorities, said in a press statement that the Israeli army has been preventing the entry of medical supplies into northern Gaza for 27 days in a row.

For its part, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Thursday that its troops continue operational activity against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In Jabalia, dozens of militant infrastructure and weapons storage facilities were struck, while in central Gaza, the IDF troops dismantled a site for weapons manufacturing and additional military infrastructure, it noted.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 43,204, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Thursday.