Israeli forces killed 20 Palestinians in the West Bank since start of new war on Gaza

As Palestinians in the West Bank mobilised in major cities in solidarity with Gaza, Israeli forces blocked main roads and faced protesters with live fire. Armed confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers erupted in various locations.
MENA
5 min read
Qassam Muaddi
West Bank
11 October, 2023
Protests and confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank have been continuing since Saturday. [Qassam Muaddi/TNA]

Israeli forces have killed 20 Palestinians in the West Bank since Saturday, 7 October, while Palestinians displayed solidarity with Gaza, as the latest figures by the Palestinian health ministry confirmed. Victims were killed in Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, Hebron, Qalqilya and Jericho.

On Monday afternoon, four Palestinians were killed during confrontations between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers at the Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem.

Later in the night, armed Palestinians opened fire at the Qalandia checkpoint, starting a brief gunfight with Israeli soldiers without reported casualties.

Three of the protesters were killed instantly by Israeli fire, while a fourth, 16-year-old Adam Joulani, was pronounced dead later in the night at the Ramallah public hospital after succumbing to his wounds.

Earlier in the morning, a Palestinian in his 20s, identified as Rajeh Abu Sneineh, was killed by Israeli forces in the old city of Hebron.

Abu Sneineh drove a construction bulldozer towards one of the Israeli checkpoints blocking the Shuhada street in Hebron's old city before being gunned down by Israeli soldiers. The Palestinian man live-streamed himself while trying to break through the checkpoint with the bulldozer moments before being killed.

On Sunday, hundreds of Palestinians took part in the funeral of 13-year-old Mohammad Rabi, who was killed by Israeli forces on Saturday during Palestinian protests in Qalqilya, in the northern occupied West Bank.

"Ahmad was in 8th grade, and he was a nice boy, very smart and good at school", his father, Abdel Nasser Rabi, told The New Arab. "He loved football and had a strong personality, and he loved to visit Al-Aqsa mosque."

"In the afternoon, I received a call from someone who asked me where Ahmad was, and I said that I didn't know; then they told me that they were from the hospital and that Ahmad was being treated for a bullet wound in the stomach", recalled the father.

"When I arrived at the hospital, Ahmad's vital organs had stopped functioning, and 15 minutes later, he was pronounced dead", he added.

"The news hit his mother and me very hard, especially since I had spent much of Ahmad's childhood in the occupation's jails, and during that time, he became very attached to his mother", the father explained.

"We only say may it all be for Palestine and for Jerusalem, and may God give us consolation", he added.

Also on Sunday, Palestinians mourned 19-year-old Amru Jubran, who was killed by Israeli forces during confrontations between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers at the Beit El military checkpoint at the northern entrance of Ramallah.

Jubran's body was taken from Ramallah hospital to his hometown of Beitunia in Ramallah city, where hundreds mourned him before laying him to rest. His grandfather told TNA's Arabic sister edition, Alaraby Al-Jadeed, that Israeli forces had arrested his grandson in the past.

In Jenin, hundreds of Palestinians took part in the funeral of 19-year-old Atef Awawdeh, who was killed by Israeli forces near the Israeli settlement of Shave Shomron, west of Nablus, after a gunfight with Israeli soldiers.

Awawdeh became wanted by Israeli forces last June after shooting and wounding three Israeli soldiers in his home city of Hebron, in the southern West Bank. He then managed to go to Jenin, in the north, and join the Jenin Brigade, the local Palestinian resistance group in the refugee camp. He had asked to be buried in Jenin.

Hours after the beginning of the Palestinian operation in Gaza, Israeli forces blocked most main roads in the West Bank, cutting off Palestinian urban areas from each other.

Palestinian companies and public institutions closed early on Saturday. While most institutions returned to work on Monday, many NGO and private sector employees were allowed to work from home. The Palestinian education ministry announced the halt of all classes from Sunday until new notice.

On Saturday, as the escalation in Gaza began, Israeli authorities announced the closure of all borders with Jordan, including the Allenby Bridge crossing, the only border crossing available for West Bank Palestinians. The bridge was open again for limited hours on Sunday morning.

Palestinian casualties in the occupied West Bank and Gaza have exceeded 900 as Israel continues to ramp up its new war on Gaza. Some 1,100 Israelis have died since the beginning of the Hamas attacks early Saturday.

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