22/2/2023–|Last updated: 2/22/202303:58 PM (Makkah)
Today, Wednesday, 9 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were wounded by the Israeli occupation forces, during its storming of the city of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, and the Al-Quds Brigades announced the martyrdom of the commander of the Nablus battalion.
In turn, the Palestinian presidency called on the US administration to “immediately move and put effective pressure on the Israeli government to stop its crimes,” while the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that the resistance was watching “the enemy’s escalating crimes and its patience is running out.”
And the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the death of 9 Palestinians and the wounding of about 100 others, as the occupation forces shot them during their raid on the city of Nablus, some of whom were seriously injured.
For its part, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that its members dealt with dozens of bullet-injured cases in Nablus, in addition to 250 cases of suffocation.
The Red Crescent had previously stated that its crews had transported a group of injuries from live bullets to hospitals in the city, and that there were dozens of cases of tear gas suffocation that were being dealt with on the ground.
He added that the occupation forces are still preventing the crews from reaching the place, besieging two wanted young men in the center of Nablus.
Al-Jazeera correspondent said that 3 journalists were wounded by the occupation bullets while they were covering the storming of the city of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that a large force of the Israeli army stormed the city of Nablus from several entrances this morning.
Sources told Al-Jazeera that special forces stormed the eastern market area of the city and besieged a house, followed by large reinforcements from the occupation army, and that armed clashes took place with Palestinian resistance fighters, in addition to hearing explosions in the besieged area.
Al-Jazeera correspondent stated later that the occupation forces withdrew from the Old City in Nablus, but they continue to blockade a number of its entrances.
For its part, Israeli media said that the two wanted men who were targeted by the military operation in Nablus were “assassinated”, and that their bodies were identified among the rubble of the house that was bombed.
In turn, the Al-Quds Brigades announced the martyrdom of the commander of the Nablus battalion, Muhammad Abu Bakr Junaidi.
Palestinian reaction
In the first reaction to the Israeli escalation, the Al-Qassam Brigades stated that “the resistance in Gaza is watching the enemy’s escalating crimes against our people in the occupied West Bank, and its patience is running out.”
For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as “the crimes of the occupation in Nablus” and confirmed that it would follow up with international authorities and courts, and considered that “the bloody storming of the city of Nablus is organized state terrorism and a dangerous escalation in the conflict arena.”
In turn, the Palestinian presidency called on the US administration to “take immediate action and put effective pressure on the Israeli government to stop its crimes.”
The Palestinian forces also announced a comprehensive strike today in Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate, to mourn the martyrs who were killed by the occupation army.
Two houses demolished
In another operation, the occupation demolished today two residential homes in the villages of Al-Walaja, northwest of Bethlehem, and in the village of Al-Dyouk Al-Tahta, west of Jericho, in the West Bank, under the pretext of not having a permit.
The head of Al-Walaja village council said that a large force of the occupation army, accompanied by military demolition vehicles, stormed the “Ain Jweza” area in the village this morning, and demolished a house belonging to a Palestinian woman under the pretext of not having a permit.
The occupation forces also demolished another two-storey house in Al-Dyouk Al-Tahta village, west of Jericho, for the same Hajjah.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian Territories (OCHA), the occupation authorities have demolished more than 185 homes and facilities for Palestinian citizens in the West Bank since the beginning of this year, under the pretext of building without a permit in areas classified “C”, which resulted in the displacement of more than 263 Palestinian citizens, including children.
Fishermen arrested off Gaza
On the other hand, Israeli naval forces arrested today 4 Palestinian fishermen off the shores of the Gaza Strip.
Nizar Ayyash, the head of the Palestinian Fishermen’s Syndicate in Gaza, said, “The Israeli navy arrested 4 fishermen in the morning, after chasing and shooting at them in the sea of the Gaza Strip, without any injuries.”
He added, “The Israeli navy took the fishermen, their boats, and their equipment towards Ashdod seaport,” stressing that the fishermen did not pass the allowed fishing zone off the Gaza Strip in the northern region (which is estimated at 6 nautical miles).
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army about the arrest and its reasons.
