West Bank: Israeli raid kills two Palestinians, another Palestinian shot dead near Ramallah

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Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces during West Bank march

A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces Friday afternoon in the occupied West Bank, hours after the killing of two other Palestinians in Nablus.

Identified as Abd al-Jawad Saleh, the man, in his twenties, was killed following confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the village of Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah.

Videos shared on social media showed him laying on the ground unconscious.

ارتقاء الشاب عبد الجواد صالح من قرية عارورة برصاص الاحتلال في قرية ام صفا شمال غرب رام الله
كان يدافع عن أرضه ضد هجمات المستوطنين. pic.twitter.com/Z4nvyYhps3

— 🇵🇸يہحہيہى الُعٍيَآشُ|𓂆 (@xq707c) July 7, 2023

Translation: The young man, Abd al-Jawad Saleh, from the village of Aroura, was killed by [Israeli] occupation bullets in the village of Um Safa, northwest of Ramallah. He was defending his land against settler attacks.

The clashes broke out after residents protested the establishment of an illegal settlement outpost in their village.

One village council member told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site that protesters made their way to the settlement outpost following Friday prayers. They were suppressed by Israeli forces, who fired teargas into the crowds.

الأهالي يتصدون لاعتداءات المستوطنين على أراضيهم في قرية أم صفا شمال غرب رام الله. pic.twitter.com/d6Hu9xAkQj

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 7, 2023

Translation: Residents confront settler attacks on their lands in the village of Umm Safa, northwest of Ramallah.

Settlements are deemed illegal by most of the international community, but Israel has vowed to continue building and expanding them in occupied Palestinian territories.

The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the armed wing of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), claimed Khairy Shaheen, 34, and Hamza Maqbool, 32, as its members.

The statement goes onto say that they will respond to the "martyrdom" of the men, as well as attacks on Jenin, and this response will not be delayed.

PFLP claimed responsibility for the attack, and state that the two Palestinians killed this morning in Nablus old city, Hamza Makboul & Khairi Shaheen, are their members.

Documentation published by PFLP below pic.twitter.com/5vd69DLUm0

— Younis | يونس (@ytirawi) July 7, 2023

Palestinian men killed in Nablus raid laid to rest

The two Palestinian men killed by Israeli forces on Friday in Nablus, Khairy Shaheen and Hamza Maqbool, have been laid to rest.

Dozens of people gathered for the funeral procession, including Palestinian resistance fighters.

Numbers of mourners take part in the funeral procession of the slain Palestinians who were assassinated by Israeli occupation forces during a military raid into Nablus. pic.twitter.com/oEGSC6Fgqg

— AlQastal News (@QastalNewsEn) July 7, 2023

Israeli forces withdraw from Nablus

Israeli forces withdrew from the West Bank city following its deadly Friday morning raid.

Videos shared on social media showed a large military force patrolling the Old City before leaving.

مقاومين اكتشفو قوة خاصة اسرائيلية بالبلدة القديمة في مدينة نابلس.

تعزيزات عسكرية اسرائيلية لاسناد القوة pic.twitter.com/hJsbTl4uas

— Hanzala (@Hanzpal2) July 7, 2023

Mountain of Fire: How Nablus became the heart of the Palestinian struggle

Israeli military raids into Nablus have become more frequent since the rise in Israeli incursions in the northern West Bank following the Gilboa prison break in 2021.

However, confrontations with occupying Israeli forces are not a new phenomenon in the historical West Bank city.

Read the full article here.

Two Palestinians killed identified

The two Palestinian men killed in the Israeli raid were identified as Khairy Shaheen and Hamza Maqbool.

They were laid to rest later on Friday following the Israeli operation in Nablus.

مشاهد من انتشال احد المقاومين الشهداء الذي ارتقى قبل قليل في نابلس.

خلال تصديه لاقتحام قوة إسرائيلية pic.twitter.com/GhUQijsS8i

— Hanzala (@Hanzpal2) July 7, 2023