A child and two elderly people were among at least 10 Palestinians who were killed Wednesday morning by Israeli military forces conducting a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus.
The attack brings the number of Palestinians killed in the occupied territories by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to 61 since the beginning of the year — a rate of more than one per day, Middle East Eye (MEE) reported. Thirteen children have been killed.
The IDF drove dozens of armored vehicles into the Nablus city center at 10 am and blocked off all entrances to the city as forces surrounded a building where two members of the Lion’s Den, a local Palestinian resistance group, were believed to be.
The military also fired tear gas, injuring a number of women and children who ambulances were blocked from reaching, an eyewitness named Nabeela Suliman told MEE. Suliman was walking through a market with her daughter when the raid began.
“It was very scary,” Suliman told the outlet. “We could hear the sounds of explosions and people screaming in the street, and many of us started crying and praying to God to protect the city and its residents.”
The two fighters targeted by the raid were among those killed. According to The New York Times, four of the victims appeared to be civilians.
CCTV footage showed at least two unarmed men being shot as they ran away from the Israeli forces.
“Nablus is a Palestinian city in occupied land that Israel has no right to rule or operate in,” said political analyst Omar Baddar. “This is murderous aggression, pure and simple!”
The Palestinian health ministry told Al Jazeera that at least 102 people were injured in the attack, including 82 who were hit by live ammunition and six who were in critical condition.
Al Jazeera reported that three journalists were among the wounded.
“One morning, so much pain and death,” said Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Abraham Gutman.
The deadly raid came less than a month after 10 Palestinians, including an elderly woman, were killed in an IDF attack on a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin. The Palestinian resistance movement is growing in both cities, Palestinian journalist MariamBarghouti told Al Jazeera.
Officials announced a general strike in Nablus and Ramallah in response to the attack.
“We are hearing stories that Israeli forces were shooting at the neighbors, people in their houses, people going about their daily lives,” reported Nida Ibrahim at Al Jazeera.“Palestinians say Israel is acting this way because it is not being held accountable and has a freehand killing Palestinians.”
Last year was the deadliest year in the West Bank since 2006, with 171 Palestinians — including 30 children — killed by IDF forces.
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