Hamas condemns Netanyahu’s visit to Tulkarm as a “desperate display of political and military failure,” vowing it will strengthen Palestinian resistance.
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas has criticized what it called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “provocative visit” on Friday to the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank as a “desperate display of political and military failure.”
In a statement, Hamas said Netanyahu was “attempting to cover up his repeated failures and ongoing setbacks in the face of our heroic Palestinian resistance.”
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz toured the refugee camp, entering a Palestinian home after overseeing demolition and destruction operations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raided a civilian Palestinian house in Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank, which was turned into a military base after the family was forcibly expelled. pic.twitter.com/zl6YH1bmzk
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 21, 2025
“The criminal Netanyahu is well known for such hollow theatrics; he once stood at the ‘Netzarim’ and Philadelphi corridors in Gaza issuing threats, yet he was ultimately forced to withdraw,” the movement stressed.
“We in Hamas affirm that this visit will neither intimidate our people nor our resistance,” it continued.
“Instead, it will further strengthen their determination and resolve to continue the path of jihad until liberation and victory,” the movement added.
Deployment of Additional Troops
Israeli Public Broadcasting Authority, KAN, shared a picture of Netanyahu inside the Palestinian home alongside military officers, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The report noted that according to available data, Netanyahu’s last publicly announced visit to the occupied West Bank was in September when he toured the Jordanian border in the eastern part of the territory.
Israel Cracks Down in West Bank as Doubts Surround Bat Yam Bus Explosions
During his raid, Netanyahu announced that he had ordered additional reinforcements in the West Bank, citing what Israeli authorities described as an attempted bombing of buses near Tel Aviv on Thursday.
“We are destroying entire streets, eliminating militants, and I have instructed reinforcements in the West Bank along with additional military operations,” Netanyahu said in a recorded statement from Tulkarem, released by his office, Anadolu reported.
Multiple explosive devices were detonated on the buses sparking fires but causing no injuries. Police have not yet attributed responsibility for the attacks to any Palestinian group.
Israelis Held for Bus Bombings
But the Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday that two Israelis were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the explosions.
“The two suspects have been transferred to the Shin Bet security agency for interrogation, though a court has issued a gag order on further details of the affair,” the paper noted.
Shin Bet Arrests Two Israelis Suspected of Involvement in Tel Aviv Suburbs Bus Bombs
The two suspects were detained following the Shin Bet’s initial investigation into the incident which occurred on Thursday night in Bat Yam and Holon https://t.co/LFse5uu1xc pic.twitter.com/1WpVf54MZa
— Sid Shniad (@SidShniad) February 21, 2025
At the same time, the Ynet news site reported that the Shin Bet arrested three suspects for “allegedly assisting in planting explosive devices” on the buses, “in what authorities believe was a botched terror attack.”
Israeli Forces Escalate West Bank Raids as Netanyahu and Katz Storm Tulkarm
Rising Death Toll
For nearly two months, Israeli forces have been conducting military operations in northern West Bank refugee camps, particularly in Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas.
The Israeli army’s offensive in Jenin entered its 33rd day on Saturday, resulting in the killings of 26 Palestinians along with dozens wounded.
A second child killed in the West Bank today that you will likely hear nothing about, because the killer is Israel and the victim is Palestinian. https://t.co/X5Y4R9p7Gh
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) February 21, 2025
Earlier on Friday, the army announced the deployment of three additional battalions to the West Bank.
The situation has escalated across the occupied West Bank, where at least 920 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal Jewish settlers since the start of the Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, according to the Health Ministry, cited by Anadolu.
The International Court of Justice declared in July that Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories was illegal, and called for the dismantling of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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(PC, Anadolu)
