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Israel launches deadly attack in West Bank, kills top commander of al-Aqsa Brigades. Photo/SFChronicle
This attack came 24 hours after the end of its operation in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad that killed and injured dozens of people, mostly civilians.
The new round of Israeli unilateral escalation against Palestinian factions, this time in the West Bank, raises questions about the purpose and timing of the violence that could trigger a Palestinian response and a new round of violence.
While Israel justifies such activity under the pretext of fighting ‘terrorists’, some attribute the escalation to next month’s Israeli elections in which prime minister Yair Lapid will need to shore up his military’s confidence in Netanyahu’s return.
The victims of Israel’s deadly attack were Ibrahim Nabulsi (26), Islam Suboh (25), and a teenager Jamal Taha (16). The three were militants sought by Israeli forces for months, while Palestinians mourned them as heroes of the armed resistance against the occupation.
“Israeli forces entered Nablus at around 7:00 am and surrounded the old city, and then engaged in a firefight with the fighters entrenched in the area,” said Ameen Abu Wardeh, a local journalist and resident of Nablus. Al ArabyWednesday (10/8/2022).
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He said gunfire continued for more than two hours, with Israeli forces blocking all entrances to the old city.
“The medical crew cannot evacuate the wounded until the Israeli forces withdraw,” he added.
Israeli media first reported that Israeli forces had killed Ibrahim Nabulsi, a commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah group, who had been at large for months. The Fatah group is a major constituent party of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and is officially affiliated with President Mahmoud Abbas.
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