Tulkarm, Palestinian Territories - Palestinians held somber funerals on Friday and assessed the extent of the damage caused by a recent Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank. The violence in the region has escalated since the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

After nearly two days, Israeli forces finally withdrew from the Tulkarem area, during which the military claimed to have killed "at least eight terrorists." The grieving residents of Tulkarem gathered in a local hospital, mourning the loss of seven individuals, while the father of one of the deceased wept quietly in a corner.

As the funeral procession made its way through the Tulkarem refugee camp, mourners paid their respects by throwing flowers over the bodies. Masked gunmen fired shots into the air, showcasing their solidarity with the deceased. Later, the shrouded bodies were adorned with automatic rifles.

Israel's ongoing occupation of the West Bank, which started in 1967, has led to frequent incursions into Palestinian communities. These raids have intensified since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza over three months ago, often lasting for several days and accompanied by air strikes.

During the raid in the Tulkarem area, Israeli forces reportedly searched around 1,000 buildings and interrogated hundreds of people, resulting in the arrest of dozens. However, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club advocacy group stated on Thursday that some of those detained had been severely beaten by Israeli forces.

Journalists from AFP witnessed the extensive destruction in Tulkarem, including a damaged ambulance, a demolished house, and various buildings with substantial holes in their walls.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, more than 360 people have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers in the West Bank. Additionally, over the same period, Israeli forces have arrested more than 6,000 Palestinians, as reported by the Prisoners' Club.