Five Palestinians killed in the Israeli raid on Nablus

• Brock League

  correspondent Israel / Palestinian territories

At least five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military raid in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus last night. More than 20 people were also injured, the Palestinian health ministry said. A sixth Palestinian was killed in a clash with Israeli soldiers near the city of Ramallah.

The target of the Israeli raid was a group of young Palestinian militants who call themselves “the lion’s pit”. The group is believed to be responsible for the attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. The Israeli army reported last night that it destroyed a building where the group allegedly made bombs.

Not long after midnight, heavily armed Israeli soldiers and secret agents moved into the downtown area, local media reported. A firefight is said to have broken out after Palestinian troops located one of the soldiers. Among the dead, according to Palestinian sources, there is at least one prominent member of the “Lion’s Den” organization. One of the other victims is said to have been unarmed.

The Israeli action in the alleys of the old city of Nablus sparked fierce protests from young Palestinians:

While Israeli military incursions into the occupied territories are commonplace, last night’s incident was one of the deadliest this year. In all, more than 120 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year in Israeli raids designed to arrest Palestinians. Israel stepped up its raids after 19 people were killed by the Israeli side in a series of attacks this spring.

A spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he contacted the United States for help in ending the Israeli campaign of continuing military incursions. “All of this will have dangerous and destructive consequences,” Abu Rudeineh told local Palestinian TV.

But Israeli Prime Minister Lapid said on the radio this morning that Israel is not discouraged. “The moment they injured us Israeli soldiers and civilians, they must know it will end badly,” he added.

Lapid spoke to … yesterday Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who also visited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Rutte is also speaking with Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu today. Parliamentary elections are on the agenda in Israel in a week’s time.