Two Palestinians arrested, others wounded after Israeli forces storm Nablus

Two Palestinian men were arrested after Israeli forces stormed the occupied West Bank town of Nablus Sunday morning, resulting in clashes.

The Israeli forces raided Nablus’ old town and surrounded houses there, local sources confirmed to The New Arab’s sister site. The incursion led to a clash with residents.

One person was wounded by Israeli bullets, and another suffocated because of tear gas fired, the Palestinian Red Crescent told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The Nablus Brigade – affiliated to the Islamic Jihad Movement’s Quds Brigade in the West Bank – confirmed in a press statement that it had engaged in armed clashes with Israeli troops.

Videos shared online purported that one Israeli soldier was wounded.

#شاهد جانب من تصدي المقاومة الفلسطينية لاقتحام قوات الاحتلال لمدينة نابلس هذا الصباح pic.twitter.com/ck6VN4JB58

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) May 14, 2023

إسعاف أحد جنود الاحتلال بعد إصابته خلال اقتحام مدينة نابلس صباح اليوم pic.twitter.com/grnQUiZ2OZ

— ‏جَفرَا الحُب والثَورَة 🇵🇸 𓂆 (@jafra_ps) May 14, 2023

After blowing up the entrances to some houses and arresting two men, the Israeli forces withdrew.

The two – Iyad Al-Takrouri and Musaab Mazhar – were reportedly wanted for a shooting in late March in the village of Hawara which injured three Israeli soldiers.

Hawara was the scene of Israeli settler violence earlier this year that saw several homes and cars burnt and a number of Palestinian casualties.

الشابان إياد التكروري ومصعب مظهر الذين تم اعتقالهما صباح اليوم بعد اقتحام البلدة القديمة في نابلس، ويقول الشاباك أنهما أفراد الخلية التي نفذت عملية حوارة قبل شهر ونصف والتي أسفرت حينها عن إصابة 3 جنود . pic.twitter.com/uX52xACofK

— هبة النتشة (@heba_alntsha) May 14, 2023

One resident of the Qaysariyeh neighbourhood where the raids took place told local media that the Israeli forces blew up the door to her house without any warning and climbed to the roof.

"One of the officers called on those in the house to surrender, and after about twenty minutes, the soldiers came out with two young men, handcuffed," another resident said.

تغطية صحفية: شهود عيان يروون تفاصيل اعتقال منفذي عملية حوارة في نابلس. pic.twitter.com/1NYmquxP9n

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 14, 2023

Sunday’s raid comes a day after Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in Nablus’ Balata refugee camp.

It came at the backdrop of Israeli violence in the besieged Gaza Strip, where at least 33 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes and artillery since Tuesday, including top commanders in the Islamic Jihad, as well as children.

One Israeli has been killed by retaliatory rocket fire.

Israel and the Islamic Jihad agreed to a truce on Saturday.

Israeli forces and settlers have killed 150 Palestinians since the start of this year - an average of more than one per day. The UN says 2022 was the deadliest for Palestinians in at least 15 years.

Palestinians on Monday will commemorate the 75th anniversary of Nakba, when thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their lands upon the creation of the state of Israel.