Palestinian operation in al-Quds leaves injuries, martyr
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A Palestinian operation near Beit Lahm left several Israelis injured before the attacker was martyred, amid rising resistance and Israeli annexation in al-Quds.
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Israeli police and rescue teams inspect the scene of a shooting operation carried out by two Palestinians, in which several people were killed and others injured at a bus stop in occupied al-Quds, Monday, September 8, 2025 (AP)
Israeli media reported on Tuesday that a Palestinian carried out a combined ramming and shooting operation in occupied al-Quds.
According to the reports, the attack took place at the tunnel checkpoint between al-Quds and Beit Lahm, leaving several Israelis wounded, some in critical condition.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health later announced the martyrdom of 32-year-old Mahdi Mohammed Awad Diriyeh, who was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces south of Beit Lahm and identified as the man who carried out the operation.
In a statement, the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas said the operation represents “a message from our resisting people, who will never remain silent in the face of the occupation’s crimes of genocide in Gaza and destruction in the West Bank.”
The movement stressed that “the escalating resistance operations are a clear message that our people will not stand idly by in the face of genocide and settlement policies.”
Escalating Israeli annexation measures in al-Quds
The operation comes amid escalating Israeli measures to consolidate control and occupation over Palestinian lands in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with West Bank settler leaders in New York on Sunday evening, ahead of his scheduled meeting with US President Donald Trump. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu told the delegation that he intended to raise the issue of “Israel" annexing the West Bank during his talks at the White House.
At the same time, Netanyahu reportedly acknowledged the “complicated reality,” suggesting that any move toward annexation is unlikely in the immediate future.
His remarks come as Netanyahu faces mounting pressure from settler leaders and far-right allies, whose calls for annexing occupied Palestinian land grow louder in response to recent Western recognition of a Palestinian state; a move he continues to resist publicly while enabling on the ground.
The meeting included senior settler figures such as Israel Ganz, head of the Yesha Council, and Yossi Dagan, who chairs the Samaria Regional Council. Both have been vocal advocates of annexation, framing it as the ultimate rejection of Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu: We have a supportive [US] president
Meanwhile, Trump has publicly ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank, while the United Arab Emirates, a key regional partner that normalized ties with “Israel” five years ago, has warned that such a move would cross a “red line.”
In the meeting, Netanyahu contrasted Trump’s stance with that of former US President Barack Obama, who had pushed for a freeze on settlement expansion. “We have a supportive president,” Netanyahu reportedly said. “Remember the Obama era, when he told us not to lay even one brick.”
It is worth noting that Ganz has lately shared on X that he and other settler leaders had visited the New York gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late head of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He said the visit was made to pray for the "application of Israeli sovereignty" to the West Bank. In his post, Ganz wrote: “The clear message of settlement is, no to a Palestinian state, yes to applying sovereignty.”
This is happening amid heightening Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank, as "Israel" is still launching raids across Palestinian towns and villages, detaining Palestinian youths with no formal charges, arbitrarily killing Palestinians, and demolishing homes.
