Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank, and committed "a cowardly assassination" in Aktaba, according to a statement issued by the Rapid Response Groups, in general, and the Tulkarm Brigade more specifically.

In their statement, they considered the three martyrs Youssef al-Khouli, Ahed Rajab, and Tariq Shaheen to be martyrs of the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood.

Israeli forces opened fire at three young men in the West Bank city of Tulkarm and prevented paramedics from reaching them for two hours until they died.

This footage shows Israeli soldiers savagely assaulting the young men after shooting at them. pic.twitter.com/JHmIrDOKeE

— Palestine and MENA Info Center (@PALMENA_IC) January 8, 2024

Significantly, the statement also mourned the Hezbollah leader who was also martyred earlier on Monday in South Lebanon, Martyr Wissam Tawil, announcing "the launch of an expanded operation for all our brigades and groups from now until further notice."

Following his assassination by "Israel" this morning in the south of #Lebanon, the #Lebanese Islamic Resistance announced leader Wissam Hassan Al-Tawil as a martyr of the path to Al-Quds.

The martyr was assassinated by an Israeli strike while he was driving his car in the… pic.twitter.com/5HLTwGiiVq

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 8, 2024

Israeli occupation forces raided Tulkarm in the northern West Bank and were met with resistance from Palestinian fighters at multiple points in the city and its camps.

The occupation forces imposed a siege on Tulkarm camp and deployed sniper teams to all surrounding entrances.

During the incursion, special Israeli forces surrounded a group of Palestinian youths, and intense confrontations erupted between Resistance fighters and occupation forces at the Iktaba roundabout northeast of the city. The Palestine Red Crescent Society also reported that Israeli forces prevented medical teams from reaching several wounded individuals in the Iktaba suburb.

On its part, the Tulkarm Brigade announced the targeting of the Annab checkpoint, east of the city, while the three martyrs are being laid to rest amid crowds. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - Nur Shams camp claimed responsibility for targeting an Israeli military force stationed at the same checkpoint earlier in the day.

Elsewhere, in Jenin, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades stated that its fighters engaged in fierce confrontations with raiding occupation forces in the town of Arraba southwest of the city.

BREAKING| Hundreds of citizens take to the streets of Tulkarm in the West Bank after Israeli forces executed three young men and assaulted their dead bodies. pic.twitter.com/oQ4kLSa5mO

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 8, 2024

IOF detain 230 Palestinians in West Bank in one week

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) disclosed on Monday that the Israeli occupation forces launched yesterday night, and until this morning, a massive detention campaign in which at least 40 Palestinians from the West Bank were detained, some of whom are ex-detainees.

The Commission and the PPS detailed that the detention campaign was concentrated in the Beit Lahm Governate, with the remaining detentions carried out in Ramallah, Qalqilya, Nablus, al-Khalil, Jenin, al-Quds. Israeli occupation forces simultaneously carried out widespread raids and field investigations. 

Acts of abuse, severe beatings, and threats against detainees and their families, in addition to widespread sabotage and destruction of Palestinians’ homes and the seizure of money and vehicles, have become daily occurrences.

The total number of detainees since October 7 has now risen to about 5,730, including those who were detained from homes and military checkpoints, those who were forced to surrender themselves under pressure, and those who were held hostage.

It is noteworthy that occupation forces have detained at least 230 Palestinians since January 1. The data related to detention cases includes those who were kept in detention by the occupation, as well as those later released.

Read more: IOF carry out large-scale campaign of incursions into West Bank