Jerusalem, Feb 9 (IANS): Israeli forces expanded their military operation in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, launching a raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp, a military spokesperson said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that large forces from the IDF, Shin Bet security agency, and Border Police began operating overnight in Nur Shams, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to witnesses, Israeli troops forced several families out of their homes in the camp, converting them into military outposts.

The military offensive involved a large number of Israeli forces, reinforced with bulldozers, which entered the camp and imposed a blockade on it, they said.

Witnesses said that bulldozers began demolishing the entrance to the al-Maslakh neighbourhood in the camp.

In a statement, Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil confirmed the Israeli raid on the camp and called for international intervention to stop what he called the "unprecedented aggression" in the area.

Kamil said that emergency medical teams were being prevented from reaching those injured in the camp, further worsening the humanitarian situation.

Nihad Shawish, a local activist in the camp, said that more than 150 families had been forced to flee their homes under Israeli threats, with soldiers converting their homes into military outposts.

Shawish emphasised that the camp was now surrounded by the Israeli army, which deployed snipers across the area.

He said the army had informed displaced families that they would not be allowed to return for at least two weeks.

The Israeli army, for its part, said that the offensive targeted what it called “disruptive activities" in the camp.

The camp, located in the Tulkarm Governorate in the northwestern West Bank, has been a focal point of recent raids.

The military said its forces shot several militants and arrested additional individuals.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that a pregnant woman was killed by Israeli gunfire. The Red Crescent said two other people were shot and badly wounded.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the operation aimed to "crush terror infrastructures" in the West Bank.

The Israeli military launched the major campaign in Jenin on January 21 and expanded it last week to the town of Tamun, southeast of Jenin.