'Israel' worried of Al-Aqsa Flood spreading amid West Bank escalations
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Israeli occupation forces are escalating in the occupied West Bank as they seek to quell the Resistance in light of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
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Palestinian demonstrators confront Israeli occupation forces following a demonstration in support of the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, occupied Palestine, October 13, 2023 (AP)
As the world focuses on Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in the Gaza Strip, the brutal Israeli violence is escalating in the occupied West Bank, The Times of Israel reported.
The Israeli occupation forces killed 55 Palestinians in one week amid massive arrest campaigns and extensive raids, not to mention individual attacks carried out by Israeli settlers.
This past week has been the bloodiest for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005 at least, UN observers have said.
Since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood started, in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed, along with some 155 captured, the Israeli occupation has imposed stifling measures on the West Bank, closing all crossings leading to Palestinian territories and checkpoints between cities. These measures were taken to "prevent attacks", Israeli media claimed.
The Times of Israel said several confrontations took place between Palestinians and Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank in recent days, and the IOF reported at least 10 attempted operations.
Multi-front war
Israeli concerns about multiple fronts have increased. The Israeli occupation's attacks escalated on Friday, the day Hamas declared a general mobilization in support of al-Aqsa Mosque and Gaza, during which 16 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, as per Palestinian Authority figures.
The IOF claimed 4 Palestinians were killed after "they attempted to detonate explosive devices in an apparent attempt to breach the separation wall in the West Bank."
On their part, occupation forces said they arrested some 220 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank, including 130 Hamas members. "Hamas elements work in secret to a large extent."
These Israeli violations against Palestinians come at a time when "Israel feels concerned about the conflict escalating into a multi-front war, especially the possibility of Hezbollah joining the battle," The Times of Israel reported.
Arming the settlers
According to the Israeli newspaper, Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has been distributing weapons to settlers since the beginning of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
A statement from his office explained that 10,000 weapons, in addition to combat equipment, protective vests, and helmets, were distributed to the settlers, especially in the West Bank.
The Times of Israel mentioned that a video clip circulated last Friday showed a settler carrying an assault rifle entering the village of Tuwani in the southern West Bank before firing at a Palestinian man from close range. Another clip showed settlers burning Palestinian cars and shooting at civilians.
The Palestinian Authority reported that settlers killed 4 Palestinians with gunfire in the village of Qusra, near the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. In another incident that took place on Thursday, settlers attacked a Palestinian funeral, killing more Palestinians in the process, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.
Settlers also reached Wadi al-Siq, a small Bedouin community inhabited by around 200 people in the central West Bank, and they opened fire on the locals, injuring 3 of them. They also looted their livestock and belongings.
Settlers have formed WhatsApp groups to coordinate attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank and to share messages that incite "eliminating any Palestinian." Among the messages circulated was: "From the stories coming out of Gaza, it is clear that we cannot rely on the army alone to protect us... Are you ready for war?"
Armed resistance
The Resistance has been putting up a fight in the face of the Israeli occupation, however. Palestinian Resistance fighters targeted Israeli occupation forces with live fire as they stormed Toubas in the northern part of the West Bank, local media reported on Sunday morning.
The IOF attempted to raid a number of neighborhoods across the West Bank, but residents and the Resistance confronted them forcing them to eventually withdraw.
According to Al Mayadeen's correspondent, early on Sunday, the IOF raided al-Khalil in the southern West Bank, the camp of Jelzoune in Ramallah in the north of the Bank, and in Sheqba, also west of Ramallah, where a Palestinian was wounded during confrontations.
At the same time, the IOF launched an arrest campaign earlier on Saturday in Beit Lahm where they stormed residential homes, searched them, confronted Palestinians, and arrested 32 young Palestinian men from across the West Bank.
As for al-Quds, the city has witnessed a number of confrontations since the early morning hours until a large raid stormed the city and showered its residents with live bullets, gas bombs, as well as stun grenades. As a result of the confrontations, a number of Palestinians were injured, according to local sources.
It was also reported that the stun grenades resulted in the partial burning of a mosque inside the neighborhood.
