Israeli Escalation and Fierce Palestinian Resistance
Featured image: Aftermath of an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Source: Yalibnan.
Six Palestinians have been murdered and two Israeli settlers have been eliminated over the past days in a significant escalation in the West Bank, which started on Thursday. The Gaza Strip has also seen a major increase of deadly Israeli attacks and the continuation of the stealing of land by the State of Israel.
The escalation in the West Bank was preceded by a massive raid against the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem on Thursday. The attack was carried out, under heavy police protection, by more than 4,200 Israeli settlers and was led by the Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Also on Thursday, the Israeli forces murdered two Palestinian men in the Beit Furik, east of Nablus, West Bank, after they attempted to extinguish fires started by Israeli settlers on Palestinian farmland. Israeli forces in the area opened fire on them. A third Palestinian was severely injured.
Extensive raids took place in the West Bank on Friday and Saturday. Land and homes around Nablus were set on fire by Israeli settlers.
The Israelis murdered four Palestinians in the town of Tell, close to Nablus. Four Palestinians were also injured. The murders occurred in an armed confrontation against Israeli forces. The battle started when settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the outskirts of Tell. Afterwards Israeli troops joined the assault and opened fire toward residential buildings as confrontations spread through the town. Far from being scared by the Israeli forces, the inhabitants of the town resisted. A resident of Tell seized the weapon of a settler and opened fire on the Israeli settlers, eliminating two of them and injuring several more.
Afterwards the Israelis retaliated by executing several Palestinians at very close range. More than 50 Palestinians have been arrested in the area.
Additionally, Israeli settlers attacked Sarra village, setting a house on fire.
Israeli settlers also stormed the village of Far’ata, causing extensive damage and injuring at least eight Palestinians.
On Friday, After these murderous attacks against the West Bank, the genocidal Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu announced a series of “forceful” measures in the West Bank and said his government would establish new settler outposts in the occupied Palestinian territory and legalize more existing ones. In a joint statement with Defense Minister, Israel Katz, Netanyahu announced “a series of steps” including raids in Palestinian villages suspected of hosting militants and “accelerating the legalization of farm outposts and establishment of new ones”.
There has been an escalation also in the Gaza Strip. Four Palestinians were murdered on Monday after Israeli occupation forces launched airstrikes on civilian vehicles in Gaza City and Khan Yunis. On Thursday, six Palestinians were murdered and six others were wounded.
The Palestine Chronicle reports, that so far Israel has violated the ceasefire agreed in the Gaza Strip almost 3,800 times. Moreover, widespread demolitions and displacement orders are constantly issued by the occupying Israeli forces, that continue their occupation and land-stealing campaign in the area. Israel is also blocking the aid that should enter in the Gaza Strip: only 59,613 aid trucks have entered Gaza out of the 168,000 that were expected under the agreement, representing a compliance rate of approximately 35 percent.
