SAA event in Palestine on Mon 29th January 2024

At least five Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, were killed on Monday by Israeli forces in different parts of the occupied West Bank, Palestinian sources said. Two Palestinians died in Israeli fire after the troops entered the town of Dura, near Hebron, in the southern West Bank, the Health Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority said in a statement. “The occupation forces stormed the town with military reinforcements, sparking confrontations, during which they fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, stun grenades, and poisonous gas towards the citizens,” the official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported. Four men were also injured during the operation. An Israeli army spokesperson told EFE that the incursion in Dura was part of an “anti-terrorism operation” that resulted in a “violent disturbance” involving around 80 Palestinians who “threw stones at the soldiers.” “The soldiers responded with gunfire,” he said. Israeli forces also raided the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, targeting a hospital where they assaulted medical personnel, and damaged room windows, according to Wafa. “The occupation forces fired at the maternity ward at Jenin Governmental Hospital… and caused panic among the patients,” according to the hospital director. Troops also fired at vehicles on streets, conducted widespread house raids, and beat several residents. The Israeli army spokesperson said that during the operation in Jenin, soldiers “discovered explosives” placed on roads, arrested two wanted suspects, and confiscated weapons. “The terrorists threw explosive devices and fired at the forces, who responded with live fire,” the source added. In a separate incident, Israeli forces killed 16-year-old Rani Yasser Khalaf Al-Shaer after he allegedly attempted to stab a soldier in Tekoa, an Israeli settlement in the southern West Bank. “The occupation forces didn’t allow ambulance crews to reach al-Shaer,” Palestinian health ministry denounced. In 2024, at least 54 Palestinians, including minors, were killed in Israeli operations, as the West Bank experienced its worst spiral of violence since the second intifada (2000-2005). Israeli operations in the West Bank have intensified since the conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas began on Oct. 7 in Gaza. Since then, Israeli forces have killed at least 378 Palestinians, including over 90 minors, and arrested over 2,700 others in West Bank cities. Israel seized control of the West Bank in 1967, and has since maintained a long regime of military occupation and colonization over the territory. EFE