Rising West Bank Tensions – One Palestinian Killed amid Raids, Intense Clashes

Mohammed al-Shalabi was killed by Israeli forces in Jenin. (Photo: via social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

A Palestinian has succumbed to his injuries hours after having been shot by Israeli forces during a raid on his home in Jenin, as Israeli forces raid the town for the second day in a row. 

As Israeli forces raided Jenin in the occupied West Bank in the early hours of Saturday, a 40-year-old Palestinian succumbed to his injuries hours after being shot and critically wounded by Israeli forces who besieged his home.

Palestinian sources said that Mohammed Adel al-Shalabi succumbed to his injuries after being shot at point-blank range by Israeli forces who raided his home during an invasion of the town of Silat al-Harithiya, northwest of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Witnesses reportedly said undercover Israeli army units executed Shalabi after destroying the contents of the house.

He was arrested in critical condition by the Israeli forces and pronounced dead of his injuries a few hours later. His body is still being held by the Israeli army, according to WAFA.

Special Israeli military units had infiltrated the town, besieging the home of Shalabi.

Intense clashes

A short while later, a large number of Israeli military vehicles stormed the town and imposed a blockade on the town’s center, specifically the Al-Jaradat neighborhood, sparking intense confrontations. 

Raids across West Bank – Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Child, Detain 55 Palestinians

Shalabi had previously been held in Israeli detention for several years, WAFA reported. His brother, Wael, in custody since last December, has been placed in administrative detention without charge or trial for a period of six months.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since October 7.

Jenin Raids

For the second day in a row, Israeli forces raided the town of Silat Al-Dhahr and the village of Al-Fandakumiya, south of Jenin, WAFA reported, citing local and security sources.

Israeli forces launched a massive search and detention campaigns in the towns as they intensified their military presence, the report said.

They also set up a military checkpoint on the main street of the village and town, according to WAFA.

Al-Jazeera reported that at least five overnight raids took place in the West Bank, mainly in the Nur Shams area near Tulkarem. Five bulldozers were employed in that raid, the report said.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade earlier shared a video on the Resistance News Network Telegram channel that showed Israeli occupation forces withdrawing a bulldozer that had been blown up during clashes in Nur Shams.

Settler Attacks

Also on Friday, a group of illegal Jewish settlers attacked the village of Burqa, located east of Ramallah in the West Bank, according to WAFA, citing local sources.

The sources said the settlers tried to set fire to a home on the outskirts of the village, but residents managed to thwart their attempts.

Despite settlers eventually withdrawing from the village, an Israeli military force consisting of five vehicles later raided the town, reported WAFA.

This comes a week after settlers attacked Burqa, setting a house on fire, vandalizing vehicles, and destroying a barn housing livestock.

Also on Friday, two Palestinians, including an elderly man, sustained injuries after being assaulted by Israeli settlers in the Masafer Yatta region, located south of Hebron (Al-Khalil) in the West Bank, according to local sources cited by WAFA.

The report added that the Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that one of the victims was transported to the nearby Yatta Governmental Hospital for treatment while the second received on-site medical assistance.

Al-Aqsa Mosque

Earlier on Friday, Israeli forces violently assaulted worshippers at the Asbat Gate, one of the main entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Witnesses reportedly said two worshippers were arrested.

Tensions continue to escalate in the West Bank and East Jerusalem ahead of the holy month of Ramadan which begins next week.

In an internal document sent to Israeli defense officials, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “explicitly” warned “of a potential increase in security tensions throughout the West Bank’” during Ramadan, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported a few days ago.

(PC, WAFA)

(The Palestine Chronicle is a registered 501(c)3 organization, thus, all donations are tax deductible.)
Our Vision For Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders & Intellectuals Speak Out

1 Comment

  1. “a group of illegal Jewish settlers” – I think, in the light of what they were doing, the word “terrorists” would be more accurate than “settlers”.
    Certainly, the FBI definition of terrorism fits their actions:
    https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism
    “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature”
    Time to use that elaborate international anti-terrorism apparatus against the state-sponsored Israeli settler terrorists.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*