Israeli forces have killed three Palestinians on Thursday morning in a new military raid on the city of Nablus, one of the strongholds of Palestinian resistance in the northern occupied West Bank. According to some local media, undercover agents have surrounded the house where a group of wanted Palestinians were, members of local militias linked to the Islamist Hamas movement, after which they have sent military reinforcements. According to the Israeli digital Ynet, up to 200 members of the security forces have participated in the operation.
The Israeli Army, which has confirmed the operation, has assured that two of the dead were members of Hamas and that they were the perpetrators of an attack that last April killed an Israeli mother and two sisters in the Jordan Valley. According to the military spokesman, the Palestinians were killed in an “exchange of fire” when “Israeli forces raided the apartment where the terrorists were staying.” Also “a high-ranking operative” who was helping the militants died during the clashes.
The Palestinian National Authority has accused Israel of being “responsible” for an action that “will further blow up” the situation
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed the death of three men killed by bullet wounds in the clashes in the Old City of Nablus and has explained that it has been difficult to identify two of the bodies as their features were “completely disfigured”, ” due to the intensity of the shots.
A Palestinian youth throws stones at an Israeli forces vehicle during a raid on Thursday morning in the old city of Nablaus.
Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have congratulated the Israeli forces “for eliminating the terrorist squad.” “Whether it takes a day, a week or a month, you can be sure that we will settle accounts. No matter where they try to hide, we will find them. Whoever attacks us will pay the price,” the head of government threatened.
For its part, Hamas has recognized that the deceased were members of the group and has described them as “heroes of the Palestinian resistance.” Meanwhile, the Palestinian National Authority has condemned the operation and has accused Israel of being “responsible” for an action that “will blow up” the situation even more and will take it “to a stage that is difficult to control.”
Nablus and Jenin are the main centers of tension in the most serious escalation of violence since the Second Intifada
The cities of Nablus and Jenin in the northern West Bank – headquarters of several Palestinian militias – are the main centers of tension in the most serious escalation of violence since the Second Intifada. In recent months, Israeli military raids on West Bank towns have increased and attacks by settlers have increased, as have attacks by Palestinians against security forces and Israeli settlers.
There are already 106 Palestinians killed at the hands of Israelis in 2023, a large part of them militiamen, but also civilians -including twenty minors-. In turn, 19 people have been killed on the Israeli side in attacks carried out by Palestinians since the beginning of 2023.
Following today’s clashes, in which, in addition to the fatalities, four Palestinians were wounded by bullets and more than 150 people were treated for asphyxiation from tear gas, the Palestinian factions in Nablus called a general strike in the city.
