360 martyred in the West Bank, occupied Al-Quds since October 7th
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The ministry of health stated that the total number of martyrs since the start of the year in the West Bank and occupied Al-Quds reached 41, after 9 martyrs in Tulkarm and Nablus were reported on Wednesday.
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A Palestinian woman flashes a V-sign towards Israeli troops during an army raid in the Tulkarem refugee camp, West Bank, Wednesday, Jan.17, 2024 (AP)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that the toll of martyrs who were killed by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers' gunfire in the West Bank and occupied Al-Quds since October 7th has risen to 360.
The ministry stated that the total number of martyrs since the start of the year in the West Bank and occupied Al-Quds reached 41 after 9 martyrs in Tulkarm and Nablus were reported on Wednesday.
Footage of an Israeli drone targeting a Palestinian car in #Nablus, West Bank.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 17, 2024
The Palestinian Red Crescent reports that occupation forces are preventing ambulance crews from reaching the targeted car. pic.twitter.com/TFMwleIrAa
A political science professor at Al-Najah University in Nablus told Al Mayadeen that the West Bank has been in a state of eruption for over two years and that the present situation is not linked to the nature of the regime but rather to a change in the policies of the occupation.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued their raids and ongoing arrest campaigns in the West Bank and occupied Al-Quds, resulting in injuries and the martyrdom of several individuals.
These incursions involve the destruction of homes and infrastructure in multiple cities across the West Bank, coinciding with the regime cutting financial allocations and collected taxes to the Palestinian Authority and exerting further pressure on the Palestinian people in the West Bank.
The vehicle of the Palestinian youth Ashraf Ahmed Yassin, 22 years old, who was killed after his vehicle was shot by the occupation forces in the Ezbet Al-Jrad neighborhood in Tulkarm. pic.twitter.com/I012APWcUF
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) January 17, 2024
Read more: Resistance confronting IOF incursions into Jenin, Areeha, Nablus
Spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency Nabil Abu Rudeineh also considered the "daily series of killings carried out by the IOF in Gaza and the West Bank, the latest being the martyrdom of four citizens in Tulkarm and three in Nablus, as a clear act of genocide against the Palestinian people."
Warnings in "Israel" about the escalation of hostilities in the West Bank are ongoing, with the latest coming from the Israeli Haaretz newspaper. In a report issued earlier in the day, Haaretz reported the stabbing and vehicle-ramming attack in the "Raanana" settlement two days ago, where 79-year-old Adina Blaustein was killed and 17 Israelis were injured. The newspaper considered it a sign of a growing wave of attacks.
The newspaper observed that "the deterioration of security in the West Bank and opening another front in the war pose a danger that must be prevented," pointing out that "it is alarming that the government fuels it through economic strangulation, provocative statements towards the Palestinian Authority, and giving settlers the green light to arm themselves and expel more Palestinians from their lands in the West Bank."
Yesterday, Israeli media issued reports on the danger of an "imminent fire" in the West Bank, making exaggerations far greater than what has occurred since the beginning of the war on Gaza.
Escalations in West Bank
The Israeli occupation is not letting off at all in the West Bank, and while it is commonplace for it to kill and kidnap Palestinians, its level of violence and criminality has been on an uptick since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
A total of 5,835 Palestinians have been detained since the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, the latest tally shows.
In the West Bank and occupied al-Quds, detained Palestinians include those who are taken from homes and military checkpoints, those who surrender under pressure, and those used by the occupation as human shields before they get dragged to detention centers.
It should be noted that this is the total number of detained Palestinians, including the few that were later released at various times.
On Monday, for example, Israeli incursions into the West Bank extended to the Ein al-Sultan camp in Areeha and the historic campus of Al-Najah National University in Nablus.
