RAMALLAH — The Israeli army on Wednesday deployed additional forces to the occupied northern West Bank amid a major offensive that has entered its eighth day.

The Israeli army reinforced its presence in specific areas in Jenin and Tulkarem, with military convoys arriving amid ongoing exchanges of fire with Palestinian fighters.

The army has tightened its blockade on the Jenin refugee camp, deploying more forces accompanied by drones and bulldozers. Eyewitnesses said the Israeli army detained several Palestinians from the camp, interrogated them, and later released them.

Israeli bulldozers continued to destroy infrastructure in Jenin city and its camp, cutting off water and electricity services to residents, according to witnesses.

In Tulkarem, Israeli forces bulldozed city infrastructure and stormed several homes, breaking through gates to conduct searches, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its medical teams treated and transferred eight Palestinians to the hospital who suffered from suffocation due to fires in the Tulkarem refugee camp caused by the ongoing Israeli offensive.

The Israeli army's current military operation is its largest in the northern West Bank in two decades, resulting in at least 33 deaths and widespread destruction. The offensive comes amid escalating tensions in the occupied territory as Israel continues its assault on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of more than 40,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 7 last year. — Agencies