Palestinian killed in Israeli raid
Nablus, Jun 13 (EFE).- One Palestinian was killed and eight others wounded Tuesday during an Israeli army on a refugee camp in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian Authority said.
Faris Abdul Munim Hashash, 19, was pronounced dead shortly after he was brought to Rafidya Hospital in Nablus with bullet wounds to the chest, abdomen, and legs, the PA Health Ministry said.
Wafa, the PA’s official news agency, reported that a large Israeli contingent entered the Balata camp and surrounded the home of an alleged militant, but ultimately withdrew without apprehending the wanted man.
Balata residents told EFE that Hashash was a civilian who did not belong to any armed faction.
The aim of the Israeli incursion was to capture four members of the Al-Aqsa Martrys Brigade, the military wing of Fatah, once led by Palestinian Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat (1929-2004).
Israeli media said that the raid was in pursuit of “wanted terrorist” Issam al-Salaj, while an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said that troops and police “neutralized an improvised weapon along with explosive devices” at a residence in Balata.
The soldiers and police noticed an armed suspect trying to flee and they opened fire, according to the IDF, which said that other suspects fired shots and hurled explosive devices at the Israeli forces.
Four of the eight wounded Balata residents are in serious condition, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, accusing the IDF of delaying medics’ arrival at the scene.
Separately, four IDF troops suffered minor injuries Tuesday when shots were fired from a vehicle near the Reihan security checkpoint on the West Bank.
Nablus, historically a hub of the Palestinian armed struggle against Israeli occupation, is a frequent target of IDF raids and the number of incursions has grown amid a surge in violence that promises to make 2023 the deadliest year of the conflict since 2005.
Including Hashash, 124 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the year, while 20 Israelis have died, most of them settlers. EFE jma-pd/dr
