48 Palestinians injured in ongoing Israeli raid on Qalandia refugee camp

At least 48 Palestinians have been injured since Israeli forces launched an ongoing military raid on the Qalandia refugee camp and the nearby town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied East Jerusalem, on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

WAFA cited the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) as saying that 35 people who were severely beaten were transferred to hospitals, while six others with injuries caused by beatings were treated at the scene.

The casualties also included one person wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet and six people who suffered tear gas inhalation, the PRCS said.

The society added that its ambulance crews had repeatedly been prevented from reaching patients and the injured because of restrictions imposed by the Israeli army, significantly hampering access to the refugee camp.

Despite the restrictions, emergency teams managed to evacuate several patients, including kidney dialysis patients, to hospitals.

The Israeli army launched a large-scale military operation early Wednesday in the Qalandia refugee camp and the nearby town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied East Jerusalem, deploying dozens of military vehicles, bulldozers and drones.

Israeli forces carry out near-daily military raids across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli army and illegal occupiers have intensified attacks across the occupied West Bank, killing at least 1,182 Palestinians, injuring around 13,000 others and arresting nearly 24,000 people.

The attacks have also included the demolition of homes and civilian facilities, the burning of mosques, the bulldozing of agricultural land, preventing farmers from accessing their fields, the forced displacement of Palestinians and the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.