Crowds attend funeral procession for Palestinians killed in West Bank raid – Palestinian Territories video
Hundreds of men, some armed, march through Jenin carrying corpses as violence escalates
Fri Nov 10, 2023 3:44 p.m. GMT
At 8:30 a.m. Friday morning, Jenin’s morgue was packed. Outside, dozens of young men in black baseball caps, T-shirts and jeans stood silently, some with weapons between their knees, green Hamas headbands tied tightly over their foreheads. Older men sat in front of closed shops.
Inside, a metal door was opened and a body wrapped in the green Hamas flag was pulled out on a stretcher. A teenager with an assault rifle in his hand touched the dead man lightly on the forehead, then helped shoulder the stretcher and made his way with five others through the crowd, down the rubble-strewn streets to the home of Hamed Fayed, where the Women were waiting for the family.
Moments later, a second body, draped in the black flag of Islamic Jihad, was executed. Then a third body, a fourth and more.
As the Israeli offensive in Gaza continues a month after Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, and injured many more, violence in the occupied West Bank is increasing rapidly. Nineteen Palestinians were killed across the territory on Thursday in clashes with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), 14 of them in the northern town of Jenin. The victims were between 15 and 40 years old, including several civilians. Since October 7, 167 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces; and another eight, including a child, were killed by Israeli settlers. According to the United Nations, three Israelis were killed in attacks by Palestinians.
Jenin has long been a flashpoint between Hamas and Israeli security forces, outside the practical control of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and a stronghold of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. A large and bloody operation was launched in the city’s main refugee camp in July, and clashes continued throughout the summer. These have worsened dramatically in the last month.
According to Israeli media citing IDF statements, the IDF launched a counter-terrorism operation on Thursday, which resulted in an exchange of fire between armed forces and armed terrorists.
“I have never seen anything like this these days,” said Ayman Zaid, a nurse at the main hospital in Jenin, where the dead and wounded were taken late Thursday evening as the fighting finally subsided. “They brought her in around 8 p.m. Before, no one could reach the hospital. We had injured people bleeding to death on the street.”
Men with weapons in the funeral procession in Jenin. Photo: Raneen Sawafta/Portal
Hamed Fayed, 19, was shot dead on Thursday morning during fighting between Hamas and the IDF in the labyrinth of narrow streets about 500 meters from the hospital. Neighbors said the IDF first advanced into the city at night and then returned in the morning.
“They came in at full power for three hours. We went to fight them. They had drones and they are really dangerous,” said a friend of the dead man who did not want to give his name. “Most of the martyrs were killed by drones, but the fighting was very close. Hamed went to shoot one [Israeli] Sniper, but the sniper shot him.
“We were together all the time. He was my brother. I’ve been his friend since third grade. He was a very nice person, a very aggressive fighter. He was never afraid. This will strengthen us, but we carry our weapons to suffer martyrdom. Of course he’s lucky. He is a martyr. I’m happy for him. That’s my wish too. Our desire is to suffer martyrdom. But of course I miss him. We played football and went swimming every day.”
The sling of the man’s assault rifle contained a tiny Koran. There was a picture of another “martyr” on an ammunition magazine.
Israeli intelligence officials claimed to the Guardian that the IDF’s successive operations in the West Bank and the detention of 1,000 to 2,200 people since October 7 were necessary to stop further terrorist attacks. According to the IDF, a significant number of those arrested are members of Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Britain and several other countries. An official claimed that those now held in the West Bank were planning attacks on Israel. .
As Fayed’s body was brought near his small home, sobs and screams could be heard, amplified by the narrow alley. The body was briefly brought into the house by crying relatives. Gunmen outside fired into the air and then again shouldered Fayed’s remains for the journey to the cemetery.
Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to dismantle Hamas and eliminate its leaders and as many of its lower ranks as necessary to make a repeat of last month’s terror attacks impossible.
Hamas militants and relatives of some of those killed on Thursday said Gaza, where more than 11,000 people have been killed since Israel’s offensive began, and the West Bank were “brothers.” “If [the Israelis] We attack them in Gaza and kill them there. “What do they expect from us, that we stand there with our hands in our pockets?” said Lutfi Sayed, whose cousin was killed on Thursday.
During the funeral procession, men shoot guns into the air. Photo: Raneen Sawafta/Portal
Hamas has been responsible for dozens of deadly suicide attacks against Israeli civilians in recent decades, and Israeli security authorities fear a new wave of violence from the West Bank in this current conflict. But the goal of eliminating the organization, which was founded in Gaza in 1987, is not easy. Although Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group are based only in parts of the West Bank, they can deploy significant numbers of militants to carry out terrorist attacks or more conventional fighting.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of men, many of them young and armed, marched through the center of Jenin on Friday morning carrying the bodies of the dead. Posters of dead “martyrs” cover every wall, and slogans celebrating their deaths are everywhere. Groups of armed young men stood on almost every street corner with their weapons, sometimes wearing balaclavas or face masks but often making no effort to hide their features. Most wore either the green headband of Hamas or the black one of Islamic Jihad.
After the march, mosques filled up for Friday prayers. Older men and seven-year-olds lined up to pray outside the Al-Ansar Mosque. The walls were scarred by recent clashes and scarred and shattered by bullets and shrapnel. Assault rifles leaned against walls, their owners kneeling and bowing their heads.
“We saw the killing of our uncles, fathers, brothers and sons,” said a heavily armed militant, 30, who said he joined Hamas when he was 17. “I would have liked to travel, live my life.” Freedom. I wanted to be a teacher. But instead we fight, and God willing, we will win.” He praised Hamas’s attacks on Israel last month and called for more.
During the prayers, the speakers relayed the sermon. During pauses in the speech, the static crackled as a drone buzzed overhead. The imam reserved his harshest criticism not for Israel, but for the Arab powers that he believed had betrayed Gaza.
“You cannot count on Arab leaders to liberate Gaza. They are accomplices of the Israelis and they are the real enemy,” he said. “We have to liberate Gaza ourselves, and now we know that Israel is weak, as weak as a spider’s web.”
{{#Ticker}}
{{top left}}
{{bottom left}}
{{top right}}
{{bottom right}}
{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}
{{Headline}}
{{#paragraphs}}
{{.}}
{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}{{/choiceCards}}We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Watch for a message in your inbox. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.