Six Palestinians Killed in Israeli Security Forces Raid in West Bank

West Bank - Ekhbary News Agency

Six Palestinians Killed in Israeli Security Forces Raid in West Bank

The occupied West Bank witnessed a significant escalation of violence on Tuesday, with at least six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, in what analyses are calling the deadliest day of conflict in the region this year. The majority of the casualties occurred in the city of Nablus, where Israeli security forces conducted a raid in the old city. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, this operation resulted in the deaths of five Palestinians and left approximately 20 others injured. The ministry also reported the death of a sixth Palestinian in the town of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah, during confrontations that erupted in response to the Nablus operation.

Reports indicate that the Israeli operation targeted what it identified as the 'Lion's Den' group, a nascent armed faction based in Nablus believed to be responsible for attacks against Israeli soldiers, which had claimed at least two lives. Israel characterized the operation as a success in eliminating key figures within this group and dismantling what it termed a 'terrorist laboratory'. These events unfolded amidst a heightened state of tension, following other clashes over the weekend that resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and an Israeli soldier in Jerusalem.

In a swift response, the Palestinian Authority strongly condemned the actions. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, through his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, described the killings as a "war crime." President Abbas urged the United States to intervene and halt what he termed "Israeli aggression" in the West Bank before the situation deteriorates to a critical point. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, commenting on the Nablus raid, affirmed that his country's objective is to "inflict severe and lasting damage on terrorism and its agents" in Nablus, Jenin, and any other areas where militant groups operate. Lapid added that the operation led to the assassination of the head of the Lion's Den group and other militants, along with significant damage to the group's infrastructure.

In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and the Israeli Police detailed that the operation targeted a hideout in the old city of Nablus. This location was reportedly serving as a central headquarters and an explosives manufacturing site for Lion's Den operatives. The statement attributed responsibility to the group for a shooting attack that killed an Israeli soldier, an attempted attack in Tel Aviv thwarted by police, and the planting of an explosive device at a gas station. The statement confirmed that Israeli forces "detonated the explosive manufacturing site" during the raid. It also noted that "dozens of Palestinians burned tires and hurled rocks at the troops," and that the Israeli forces "responded with live fire toward the armed suspects who were shooting at them."

In response to the day's events, the Palestinian National Forces, an umbrella group representing various political and popular factions, announced a general strike across cities and villages in the West Bank on Tuesday. This strike included the suspension of essential services such as schools, universities, and courts. The ongoing violence underscores that the current year is the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2015, with Israel asserting that most of those killed were engaged in violent confrontations with soldiers. The year has also been the deadliest for Israelis and foreign nationals killed in Palestinian attacks since 2015, fueling concerns about the potential for a third Intifada.

Ekhbary News Agency