In Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank, a deadly raid killed two Palestinians overnight from Saturday to Sunday, and 19 others were injured, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, including ten with live ammunition. Israeli soldiers entered the Old City, a residential area in Area A believed to be under Palestinian control, and stormed an entire neighborhood of the Old City for several hours.
With our correspondent in the Palestinian Territories, Alice Froussard
It was a little before three in the morning. Israeli soldiers raided the Old City of Nablus, the al Kasabah neighborhood and a house for four hours. On videos published this Sunday, July 24, we hear salvoes of gunfire, cries, incessant exchanges between soldiers and armed Palestinian militants. Local journalists point out: it was impossible to cover the operation because of the large number of snipers on the roofs of buildings “.
The Israeli army, which speaks of explosive devices and stones thrown in their direction, and ” rioters who opened fire “says that she has” retaliated with riot control and live ammunition “.
“A new Israeli crime”
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Mohammad Azizi, 25, and Abdul Rahman Suleiman Sobh, 28, were killed, one by a bullet to the chest, the other by a bullet to the head. They belonged to the Martyrs Brigades of al-Aqsa, the armed wing of Fatah.
Their funeral took place on Sunday morning, gathering hundreds of people. The procession, carrying their remains, marched through the streets of Nablus under the songs, the shots.
All the shops around were closed, as a general strike also started on Sunday in the city. In their homage, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, denounces “ a new crime Israeli” and specifies that the region “will remain in a cycle of violence until the occupation ends “.
Describing the raid, the Israeli army speaks of ” anti-terrorist operation “, the Palestinians, them, of” military invasion “. It is in any case one of the most important incursions of the Israeli army since the last weeks where it has multiplied raids, searches, arrests and punitive demolitions in the West Bank.