Nine Israeli settlers wounded in shooting operation in West Bank
The operation targeted a bus at a junction near Ariel settlement.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in the occupied West Bank reported Friday that one Palestinian was killed, while Israeli occupation forces are pursuing a second young man, allegedly for carrying out a shooting at a bus in the Ariel settlement in the occupied West Bank.
According to Israeli media, the shooting incident near Salfit resulted in the injury of nine Israelis, three of whom are in critical condition.
Later, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, claimed responsibility for the operation.
The Brigades identified Samir Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, 46, from the village of Einabus near Nablus, as its member who carried out the operations.
“The al-Qassam Brigades announces its responsibility for the shooting operation,” the group confirmed in a statement.
The Israeli occupation forces have closed the entrances to Nablus in their search for the second man who was allegedly involved in the operation.
This is happening as towns and cities across the West Bank have been subjected to daily incursions by settlers and Israeli occupation forces, often resulting in widespread arrests, as well as casualties.
At least 702 Palestinians have been killed and about 5,400 others wounded at the hands of Israeli occupation forces and settlers in various cities and camps of the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7.
Mass arrests
A surge in administrative detention orders has also accompanied mass arrests and killings, with over 10,000 issued since October 2023. Administrative detention, a controversial practice allowing individuals to be detained without charge or trial, has been applied to women and children, sparking widespread condemnation from human rights advocates.
Detention campaigns have reportedly been marked by severe violations, including physical abuse, humiliation, and threats directed at detainees and their families. In many cases, detainees' homes have been vandalized, valuables such as vehicles and money confiscated, and infrastructure in refugee camps, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarm, systematically destroyed.
There have also been accusations of field executions carried out by Israeli forces, adding to the brutality of these operations.
Palestinian detainee organizations have released a detailed report exposing the alarming scale of detentions and rights abuses carried out by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and occupied al-Quds since October 7, 2023.
Since the onset of the war on Gaza, more than 11,800 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank and al-Quds. Among them are 435 women, including some from Gaza and areas occupied in 1948, and 775 children.
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