Israeli forces have launched their most intense attacks yet on cities in the occupied West Bank, continuing one of the largest incursions into the area since Israel's war on Gaza began in October.
At least one person was killed after Israeli troops launched a coordinated attack overnight on ten cities, including Hebron, Halhul, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, el-Bireh, Jericho and particularly the center of Ramallah, the administrative headquarters of the Palestinian Authority.
The raids, which continued until early Thursday morning, targeted Palestinian money exchange points, Al Jazeera reporters on the ground said.
“This was a raid like we have never seen in central Ramallah, like no other.” “We have not seen a raid of this magnitude since October 7,” Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said on Thursday reported from near the crime scene.
He said the “unprecedented” raid began at 1am on Thursday (11pm GMT Wednesday) and lasted about four hours, with “at least 20 vehicles” entering Ramallah.
Israeli forces used tear gas and stun grenades to clear a street and then cordoned off the area before using a “controlled explosion.” input a money exchange shop. The soldiers confiscated documents and arrested business owners.
“The Israelis say [the shops] “The funds were used by the resistance movements to finance their activities,” Khan said, adding that about three money exchange shops were raided in Ramallah and two others in other cities.
“In total, they actually seized about $2.5 million in these raids,” our correspondent said.
At the same time, there were violent clashes in Al-Manara Square in the center of Ramallah. One person was shot dead and at least 15 others were injured in clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians.
“We treated and transported four injured Palestinians who were shot with .223 caliber bullets in the chest, shoulder, leg and sensitive areas,” Majd Omar, a paramedic with the Palestinian Life Society in Ramallah, told Al Jazeera.
He said they managed to take some of the injured to hospital while others were transported by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
PRCS said a Palestinian was injured after being shot dead by Israeli forces in the city of Nablus. In a separate raid in the city of Halhul, nine people were injured and two people were arrested, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
“Deliberate provocation of the Palestinians”
Although Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank are not uncommon, the scale, frequency and intensity have increased in recent weeks.
On Thursday, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem was rapidly deteriorating.
“The use of military tactics and weapons in law enforcement, the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force, and the enforcement of sweeping, arbitrary and discriminatory movement restrictions affecting Palestinians are extremely concerning,” he said in a statement.
Rami Khouri, a distinguished scholar at the American University of Beirut, told Al Jazeera that the raids were confirmation that the Israelis are taking measures to prevent a confrontation with Israel in the occupied West Bank amid the Gaza war comes.
“They don’t want the West Bank to be the next one now [front]” he said, adding that the raids sought to end Palestinian resistance in the occupied West Bank.
According to Mouin Rabbani, a Middle East analyst, the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank is part of some Israeli officials' agenda to “permanently consolidate” Israeli rule over the Palestinian territory.
“They want to deliberately provoke the Palestinians to create as much conflict as possible,” he told Al Jazeera. “They are even out to provoke the Palestinian Authority security forces because, in their view, if they were to become involved in a conflict, Israel would have an excuse to simply eliminate the Palestinian Authority altogether.”
Since Israel's war in Gaza began on October 7, violence has increased across the West Bank. Since then, more than 300 people have been killed and nearly 4,800 Palestinians arrested in raids there.
In the Gaza Strip, more than 21,000 people have been killed and at least 55,000 injured in Israeli strikes since October 7.
(AlJazeera)