Palestine‘s health ministry said Israel‘s military killed at least ten Palestinians and shot dozens more in a raid on Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. The attack happened on 22 February. The ministry said the deaths were a “result of the occupation’s aggression on Nablus”. Health officials said the soldiers hospitalised at least another 100 people with gunshot wounds.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) said one of its journalists saw Israel‘s forces fire tear gas at Palestinians, who burned tyres and threw stones at military vehicles. The journalist added that troops withdrew from Nablus after three hours. The Israeli military confirmed its forces were operating in the northern West Bank city.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medics had treated 250 cases of tear gas inhalation in addition to gunshot wounds.
Al-Jazeera reported that the Israeli military’s attack on Nablus began around 10am local time, and that:
The army blocked off all entrances to the city before surrounding a home with two wanted Palestinian fighters, Hossam Isleem and Mohammad Abdulghani, who were both killed.
The Lions’ Den armed group said in a statement that it engaged in clashes with Israeli forces during the raid, alongside the recently announced Balata Brigades group.
The last major Israeli raid on Nablus killed five Palestinians, as troops targeted local militant group the Lions’ Den.
Nablus attack brings this year’s dead to 61
UN Middle East peace envoy, Tor Wennesland, recently appealed for the violence to halt as an “urgent priority”. On 20 February, he told the UN Security Council:
We have seen ominous signs of what awaits if we fail to address the current instability.
Last year was the deadliest year in the territory since the UN started tracking casualties in 2005. Since the start of 2023, the Israeli state has claimed the lives of dozens of Palestinian adults and children. They include militants and civilians.
The attack on Nablus brings the total to 61 people, 13 of which are children. Nine Israeli civilians, including three children, one Ukrainian civilian and a police officer, have been killed over the same period according to a tally by AFP based on official sources from both sides.
Featured image via AFP News Agency/YouTube
Additional reporting by AFP
