Three Palestinians killed in occupied West Bank

Three Palestinians were killed on Friday in the occupied West Bank, two of them during an incursion into the city of Nablus in the north of the West Bank. This comes a day after the United Nations called for a "serious political process."

According to Palestinian and Israeli sources, Israeli forces killed two Palestinian youths during the raid on Nablus on Friday morning.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported "two martyrs and three injuries as a result of the aggression of the occupation on Nablus," stating that "the martyrs are Khairy Mohammed Sari Shahin (34 years old) and Hamza Muayyad Mohammed Mqbel (32 years old)."

The Al-Shuhada Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, mourned "the martyrs fighters Hamza Mqbel and Khairy Shahin, the perpetrators of the Jabal Jarrizim operation near Nablus two days ago," threatening that "a response is coming and will not be delayed."

The Israeli army confirmed in a statement the killing of the Palestinians "in an exchange of fire with security forces."

The army stated that a "preemptive joint operation by the Israeli army, the General Security Service, and the Israeli Border Police" took place in the city of Nablus.

It added that Israeli forces "attempted to arrest Khairy Shahin and Hamza Mqbel, residents of Nablus, on suspicion of carrying out a shooting attack against a police car near the Har Bracha settlement on July 5, 2023."

"A gun battle ensued, and they were killed," the statement said, noting that "their weapons were seized, and there were no reports of casualties on our side."

Later on Friday, a third Palestinian youth (24 years old) named Abduljawad Hamdan Saleh was killed during a demonstration against settlements in the village of Um Safa, north of Ramallah, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The village has recently witnessed clashes between its residents and Israeli settlers.

The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment from Agence France-Presse (AFP).

This comes against the backdrop of tension between Israel and the Palestinians following a Palestinian attack in the northern West Bank that resulted in the killing of an Israeli soldier.
The Israeli army announced that one of its soldiers, Shilo Yosef Amir (22 years old), was shot dead on Thursday near the Kedumim settlement in the occupied West Bank.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that the assailant who was killed was "the martyr" Ahmad Yasin Ghaythan (19 years old) from the village of Qabia near Ramallah.

It emphasized that "this heroic operation comes as a swift response to the aggression of the occupation and its abuse of our people in our camp" in Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, where 12 Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed.

The Israeli forces raided Jenin and the city in the early hours of Monday in the largest Israeli military operation in the West Bank in years, involving a large number of soldiers, tanks, and military bulldozers, supported by drones carrying out airstrikes.

Several Arab countries announced aid for the Jenin camp following the Israeli military operation.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune issued a decision to provide a financial grant of $30 million to contribute to the reconstruction of Jenin.

The United Arab Emirates also announced a donation of $15 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) "to support the agency's operations and services, and to provide urgent assistance to Palestinian families, particularly in rehabilitating the losses in the city of Jenin and its camp."

On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized that "escalation is not the answer" to "Israel's legitimate concerns about its security," condemning its "excessive use of force" during the military operation carried out in the occupied West Bank this week.

He added that "restoring hope to the Palestinian people through a serious political process leading to a two-state solution and ending the occupation is the primary contribution to Israel's security."

On the same day, the Israeli army announced that it had shelled southern Lebanon in response to an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon, marking the second escalation between the two sides in three months.

The Israeli army told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that a "tank missile was fired from Lebanese territory and exploded near the border in Israeli territory."

The explosion occurred in the town of Al-Ghajar, part of which is in Lebanon and the other part in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. The Israeli army clarified that "in response to this, it shelled the area from which the missile was launched."

Violence between Israelis and Palestinians has been on the rise since last year, especially under the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies.

The death toll from attacks, confrontations, and military operations since the beginning of January has risen to 193 Palestinians, in addition to 26 Israelis, Ukrainians, and Italians.

These figures include fighters and civilians on the Palestinian side.

In the Israeli side, the majority of the casualties were civilians.



AFP