The Guardian on Wednesday published an investigation detailing a deadly raid carried out by Israeli forces in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus on December 19, 2024. The operation involved Israeli soldiers disguised as medical personnel, emerging from an ambulance and a civilian van to carry out an assault that killed two Palestinians, including 80-year-old Halimah Saleh Hassan Abu Leil. Rights groups have condemned the incident as a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

Video footage obtained by The Guardian shows armed soldiers stepping out of a hospital vehicle with Palestinian license plates, as well as a civilian white van, and opening fire in the area. Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with civilians running for cover as bullets were fired indiscriminately.

An Israeli military force used an ambulance as a cover for a raid in the Balata Refugee Camp.

Israel is no longer trying to hide its war crimes and is acting as though the norms and rules of international law do not apply. The international community must intervene to stop the… pic.twitter.com/upEmwa0tsU

— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) January 14, 2025

One witness, Rashida Abu Al Reesh, 73, recounted, "I was holding a bag of bread to take home as Halimah stopped me in the street. She was about to invite me to her house. Suddenly there was a car of men who held their rifles up. They started shooting. Poor Halimah fell down instantly, and I ran to hide anywhere until I escaped down the street."

Halimah, who was struck while speaking to a neighbor, was fatally shot as she attempted to raise her hand for help. Twenty-five-year-old Ahmad Qusai 'Issa Sarouji, a hairdresser unaffiliated with any armed groups, was also killed by sniper fire. Ahmad's mother, Jamila Sarouji, said, "We woke up in the morning to the sound of gunfire. His aunt was shouting at him: 'Be careful Qusai! Don't look outside!' And while she was still alerting him we saw his blood flowing. We tried to call the ambulance but in vain."

شهيد مخيم بلاطة قصي السروجي💔 pic.twitter.com/u4iUddHD2s

— إيلِـيـَاء ‏𓂆 (@ayliya22342) December 19, 2024

Read more: Resistance fighters confront Israeli incursion in northern West Bank

In addition to the fatalities, six others were injured, including Halimah's nephew, Hussein Jamal Abu Leil, 25, who underwent critical surgery after being shot multiple times. Hussein recounted his ordeal, saying, "I went down and stood at the entrance of the neighbourhood and as soon as I stopped, I felt like I got shot. I crawled and went into our neighbour's shop... Then the Israeli military entered the shop – one of them had a pistol. I tried to cover my head and he came closer and shot me twice in the stomach."

The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) admitted that an ambulance was used during the operation claiming that such action came without authorization. In response, the commander of the Duvdevan Unit was allegedly reprimanded, and a disciplinary action was issued to a platoon commander.

Flagrant Violation

Human rights organizations have sharply criticized the incident. B'Tselem, an Israeli rights group, described it as a "flagrant violation" of international law. Michael Sfard, a legal adviser for B'Tselem, stated, "A military force disguised as a medical crew is a violation of the principle of distinction, thus a violation of international law." He added, "In certain circumstances the use of a vehicle that looks like a civilian ambulance by combatants may amount to a war crime."

The attack has drawn renewed attention to the worsening violence in the West Bank, where over 732 Palestinians have been killed and more than 14,300 detained by Israeli forces since October 2023, according to the United Nations. 

Read more: West Bank children killed at unparalleled rate amid 'total oppression'