On Wednesday, Israeli forces conducted a deadly raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, resulting in the deaths of 11 Palestinians and the injury of more than 80 people. The raid began when Israeli undercover forces entered the Old City of Nablus disguised as religious Muslims and veiled women, and hid inside a mosque near a house where two Palestinian fighters were taking shelter. When the two men refused to surrender, the Israeli army attacked the house with rocket-propelled grenades and armed drones, killing them.
The Israeli forces then proceeded to fire indiscriminately at anyone in the area, including elderly people and children. Akram Saeed Antar, a resident of the al-Halabeh area where the targeted house was located, described the scene as “three hours of destruction, explosions, and live ammunition that targeted all the residents in the area”. Israeli forces also attacked large crowds of Palestinians in several busy locations across Nablus with live ammunition and tear gas that contained pepper spray, including from drones.
The raid is the third major Israeli operation in the West Bank since the start of the year and under Israel’s new extreme right-wing government that was sworn in late December. It is also one of the deadliest military raids in the occupied West Bank since the mass Palestinian uprising or Intifada of 2000-05. The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that “the start of this year is the bloodiest in the occupied West Bank since the year 2000, at least”, with 62 Palestinians, including 13 children, killed this year so far and hundreds of others injured.
The violence has led to fears of a wider conflict, with some saying a third Intifada was inevitable. In response to the Nablus raid, armed resistance groups in the besieged Gaza Strip fired rockets into Israel, prompting Israel to launch air raids on Gaza. Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida said that “the resistance in Gaza is observing the enemy’s escalating crimes against our people in the occupied West Bank, and its patience is running out”.
The raid has had a devastating impact on Nablus residents, who are still reeling from its aftermath. Khaled Jamal, a 25-year-old resident who witnessed the events, said “it was catastrophic. Everyone inside and outside the hospital was crying at the scene before our eyes – men, women, children”. Another witness described it as a “massacre”, saying “the army was dealing with people with barbarity – they were shooting at people on the streets, the stores, the food and merchandise carts in the market”.
The deadly raid on Nablus is yet another example of Israel’s intensifying violence against Palestinians in the occupied territories. While Israel claims that it is targeting limited Palestinian armed resistance, many civilians, including children, are often killed and injured during such raids and their properties are destroyed. The situation on the ground is becoming increasingly explosive due to Israel’s oppressive policies, including increasing demolitions of Palestinian homes and punitive measures on prisoners.