Nablus, West Bank (Reuters) — Israeli forces entered a major Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday and staged a rare daytime arrest operation, sparking fighting and killing at least 10 Palestinians died and dozens were injured.
The raid, which reduced buildings to rubble and filled many shops with bullets, was one of the bloodiest in nearly a year of fighting in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinian authorities said 10 people were killed and 102 injured, including a 72-year-old man.
The brazen attacks, combined with the high death toll, raised hopes for further bloodshed. A similar attack last month was followed by a deadly Palestinian attack outside a Jerusalem synagogue, with the militant Hamas group warning that “their patience has run out”.
Israel’s West Bank Settlers Organization said Israeli authorities had approved the construction of about 2,000 new homes in the West Bank settlements in a move that could further escalate tensions. The Israeli government did not immediately confirm a decision taken just two days after the UN Security Council issued a watered-down statement against the settlement.
Israeli forces entered Nablus on Wednesday and said they had arrested three wanted militants suspected of previous shootings in the West Bank, and tracked the men to a hideout.
During the raid, armed suspects “fired violently” at the troops, who responded with live ammunition, he said. Others are said to have hurled stones and explosives at the troops. There were no Israeli casualties. It released a photo of two automatic weapons that were allegedly seized in the raid.
In the old town of Nablus, people stare at the rubble of a large house on a centuries-old kasbah. The store was riddled with bullets from end to end. A parked car was crushed. Blood stained the cement ruins. Furniture from destroyed homes was scattered in a pile of rubble.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said six of his 102 injured were in critical condition. A Palestinian militant group claimed six of the dead were members. However, a 72-year-old man also died. It was initially unclear whether other armed groups belonged.
An amateur video posted online appeared to show security camera footage of his two young men running down the street. A gunshot is heard and they both fall to the ground with their hats flying off their heads. Both bodies were motionless.
Amateur video footage showed Israeli forces operating in downtown Nablus, with military vehicles firing tear gas canisters. American diplomats claimed to have elicited Israeli promises to stop unilateral action to block the resolution. Israel’s recognition of new settlements appears to contradict this claim.
Hamas has fought Israel four times since taking control of Gaza in 2007, and Israeli officials fear rising tensions ahead of Muslim holy Ramadan, which begins in late March.
At least 55 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem this year, a percentage that could surpass last year’s death toll. About 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem last year, making it the deadliest year in those regions since 2004, according to figures from the Israeli rights group Betzelem. Israel says the military strike is designed to destroy militant networks and deter future attacks, but Palestinians see it as a further escalation of Israel’s indefinite 55-year occupation.
During the 1967 Middle East War, Israel conquered the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, which the Palestinians aspired to be an independent state.
