‘We are another Gaza’: Palestinians survey ruins after raid on West Bank refugee camp

Palestinian residents of the West Bank express shock and despair at the outcome of an Israeli raid on their refugee camp: bullet-riddled walls, destroyed homes and piles of concrete blocks.

“We are another Gaza, especially in the refugee camps,” says Nayef Alaajmeh, a resident of the Nur Shams camp in the city of Tulkarem, as he surveys the damage following a devastating Israeli raid on the camp that ended late on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces launched a widespread “counterterrorism” operation in several West Bank cities and refugee camps, including Nur Shams.

At least 19 Palestinians have been killed so far in the raids, according to the Israeli military and the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah. The majority of those killed were terrorists.

The Israeli military initially sent bulldozers to tear up tarmac streets, sending clouds of dust over the targeted areas.

AFP footage shows camp residents walking cautiously through streets littered with burnt tires and other debris.

Municipality workers and residents are already working to salvage what they can.

Many residents compare the devastation to that in Gaza, where nearly 11 months of war have left much of the Palestinian territory destroyed.

“Today, we are just like Gaza, war or no war… (but) we are steadfast and the people of Gaza are also steadfast,” says Nabil Abu Shala, another resident of Nur Shams camp.

The Israeli military is officially forbidden from entering West Bank cities and refugee camps, which are autonomous zones under the control of the Palestinian Authority.