Israeli army launches large-scale assault in East Jerusalem refugee camp

Israeli forces initiated a large-scale assault in the Qalandiya refugee camp in East Jerusalem on Wednesday. The Jerusalem Governorate reported that scores of military vehicles entered the camp before dawn, equipped with supplies and materials. Soldiers conducted home raids and searches in multiple neighborhoods, leading to house evictions and disrupted dawn prayers in the camp's mosques.

Palestinian sources confirmed that a family was ordered to completely vacate their home, while several residents were forcibly removed from their residences. One Palestinian man sustained leg injuries after being struck by a military vehicle near the camp, and journalist Muhammad Sumrin was severely beaten while covering the operation.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a 53-year-old man was injured following a beating by soldiers. Eyewitnesses claimed that soldiers breached the camp's wall, allowing bulldozers to demolish a car wash on Almatar Street. Additionally, the army conducted a wave of arrests, with Palestinians reportedly being assaulted during their detention.

The Palestinian Red Crescent and rights groups have condemned the Israeli military's actions, labeling it a "pogrom" against Palestinians in the West Bank. The Israeli military's coordinator for activities in the West Bank, Cogat, stated in a Facebook post that the operation targeted "terrorist elements, terrorist infrastructure, and the phenomenon of weapons possession and trafficking," without specifying the alleged threat.

Israeli media sources suggested that the military might expand attacks on other refugee camps in the West Bank following the Qalandiya raid, although no recent attacks from the camp against Israelis have been reported.