The Washington Post recreates a 3D reconstruction of the massacre in Nablus.
A reconstructed 3D image of the attack on civilians in Nablus (The Washington Post)
A 3D analysis published by the Washington Post on Friday revealed how the IOF carried out the massacre in the Old City in Nablus on February 22 which resulted in the death of 11 Palestinians.
A 16-year-old child was among the martyred.
16-year-old Mohammed Shabaan left, and 65-year-old Abdelaziz Ashqar were killed as an Israeli armored vehicle fired at least 14 shots into a group of civilians gathered in a staircase outside of a clinic (Courtesy of the Shaaban and Ashqar families)
The analysis shows how the IOF fired at least 14 times from inside an armored vehicle as it was moving, then made a sudden stop next to a wall behind which civilians had gathered to shelter themselves.
The IOF fired about 14 shots and continued to fire even though the civilians were clearly visible from the vehicle’s window.
WP spoke with two witnesses to the shooting and obtained previously unpublished videos of the incident from a bystander and the IOF.
A WP reporter managed to collect visual evidence at the scene and reconstruct it using 3D modeling software, and reporters also reviewed more than 30 videos filmed in Nablus that day.
WATCH: An Israeli military armored vehicle wreaks havoc inside the vegetable market during a surprise raid on the city of Nablus, north of the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/8OQlqs0REQ
At least 11 Palestinians were martyred and 100, including several in critical condition, have been injured in confrontations that erupted between Palestinian Resistance fighters and Israeli occupation forces after the latter stormed the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus on February 22.
Among the martyrs are one child and two elderly Palestinians. The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the martyrs as 72-year-old Adnan Sabaa Baara, 61-year-old Abd Al-Hadi Abd Al-Aziz Ashqar, Muhammad Khaled Anbousi, 25, Tamer Nimer Ahmed Minawi, 33, Musab Munir Muhammad Awais, 26, Hussam Bassam Islim, 24, Muhammad Abdel-Fattah Abdel-Ghani, 23, Walid Riyad Hussein Dakhil, 23, Muhammad Shaaban, 16, and Jassir Jamil Qan’ir, 23.
Israeli occupation forces, in huge numbers, stormed the outskirts of the Old City in Nablus and surrounded a house amid heavy gunfire. During the confrontations, Israeli occupation forces fired live bullets and stun and gas grenades.
The occupation brought in large military reinforcements from the Hawara military checkpoint. Palestinians circulated footage of occupation vehicles storming the eastern market, while many residents were inside the place.
The occupation forces fired an anti-tank missile at the besieged house causing a violent explosion and columns of smoke rose from the place.
Palestinian residents also tried to obstruct the occupation forces’ storming of the City and confronted them with stones and empty bottles. In turn, the Israeli occupation forces fired live bullets and tear gas canisters between residential neighborhoods.
Israeli occupation forces stormed the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on Tuesday, killing several Palestinians and injuring others, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.
The Israel army said “security forces are currently operating in the Jenin (refugee) camp” in the northern West Bank, but gave no further details.
Tue, Mar 7, 7:00 (GMT+2)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement that the Israeli military assault in the Jenin refugee camp left 26 Palestinians wounded, three of them critically.
Scenes from the house that was besieged by the lsraeli occupation forces in Jenin camp and hit with sixteen shoulder-fired missiles, which led to the killing of all who were inside. pic.twitter.com/tQpaMHQyzr
Palestinian Authority presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement that the Israeli killing of Palestinians is an all-out war.
“The crime committed by the occupation forces reaffirms the Israeli government’s intention to thwart all regional and international efforts aimed at stopping all unilateral actions, which the Israeli side insists on continuing,” said Abu Rudeineh.
WAR CRIME! #Israeli troops reportedly block Palestinian ambulances from reaching the wounded in #Jenin today.
The IDF killed 6 Palestinians & wounded 9 in the raid.
Israel has systematically obstructed attempts to recuse the wounded in previous raids on the city. pic.twitter.com/rpatP51H8X
Abu Rudeineh called on the United States administration to take immediate action and put effective pressure on the Israeli government to stop its crimes and continuous aggression against the Palestinian people.
Tue, Mar 7, 5:45 (GMT+2)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health revealed in a statement the identity of the victims of the latest Israeli military assault on the Jenin refugee camp.
Muhammad Wael Ghazzawi, 26 years old
Majd Muhammed Azmi Husseiniyeh, 26 years old
Tariq Ziyad Mustafa Natour, 27 years old
Ziyad Amin Al-Zarini, 29 years old
Abdel Fattah Hussein Kharousha, 49 years old
Mutasim Nasser Sabbagh, 22 years old
Tue, Mar 7, 5:35 (GMT+2)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement that the number of Palestinians killed in the military assault rose to five.
#Touching: Palestinians bid sad farewell to Mohammad Ghizawi who was shot and killed by the occupation forces in Jenin refugee camp. pic.twitter.com/u7D9FtvBgB
— Wafa News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) March 7, 2023
Tue, Mar 7, 5:30 (GMT+2)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement that the number of Palestinians killed in the military assault rose to five.
Tue, Mar 7, 5:20 (GMT+2)
The PLO Department of International Relations reported that Israeli forces attacked a Palestinian ambulance in the Jenin refugee camp.
— PLO Department of International Relations (@DirPlo) March 7, 2023
Tue, Mar 7, 5:15 (GMT+2)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in its Telegram channel that Israeli forces killed two more Palestinians. The victims are yet to be identified.
BREAKING: Israeli occupation forces raid Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/9IAXrYNaHk
Three Palestinian civilians were shot dead: two by Israeli Occupation Forces and one by Israeli settlers. Also, a member of Palestinian armed groups succumbed to his pervious injury. Moreover, 16 Palestinians, including 3 children, a woman, and a journalist, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in eastern Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 23 February 2023, Mohammed Nabil al-Sabbah (30), from Jenin refugee camp, died at An-Najah Hospiral in Nablus, succumbing to a live bullet injury in the abdomen. Al-Sabbah who was a member of Palestinian armed groups, was wounded on 12 February 2023 during IOF incursion into the camp.
On 24 February 2023, medical sources at al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron declared the death of Mohammed Isma’il Mohammed Jawabreh (21), a Palestinian police officer from Al-Arroub refugee camp, succumbing to a live bullet injury in the back of his head. IOF opened fire at him at around 14:00 a day before from a distance of 30 meters while He was with 3 persons on his house roof during clashes that broke out in the camp.
On 26 February 2023, Sameh al-Aqtash (37) was killed after being shot with a live bullet in his abdomen by Israeli settlers during a widescale attack on Za’tara village as part of a series of retaliatory attacks on southern Nablus’s villages. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).
On 01 March 2023, Mahmoud Jamal Hamdan (22) died few hours after being arrested and injured by IOF fire during the latter’s incursion into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho. Also, a Palestinian was shot and another was ran over in addition to 5 others arrested, including 3 brothers and son of one of the latter. According to PCHR’s investigations, an Israeli Special Force sneaked into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp and cordoned off a house belonging to Shalloun family. Afterwards, Israeli backups arrived shooting and firing teargas canisters as well as threatening to bomb the house. Meanwhile, IOF opened fire at Mahmoud Hamdan while driving his motorcycle out of a nearby wood carpentry shop, wounding him with a live bullet in his abdomen. A Palestine Red Crescent Society medical crew arrived and tried to give him first aid, but IOF arrested him and took him to an unknown destination. Later in the evening, Hamdan’s death was announced. During their withdrawal from the camp, IOF detained a young man and his child and used them as human shields during their raid into the house. IOF also pulled a civilian Hyundai Tucson car to the middle of the street and broke its windows.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of IOF excessive use of force during their incursions into the Palestinian cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 23 February 2023, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his foot during clashes with IOF near a observation point established at the entrance to Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
On the same day, a woman was shot with a live bullet in her lower limbs by IOF at the entrance to “Ma’ale Adumim” settlement, which is established on occupied East Jerusalem’s lands, under the pretext that she tried to carry out a stabbing attack. IOF arrested the injured woman and took her to an Israeli hospital in West Jerusalem.
On 24 February 2023, two Palestinians, including a child, were shot with rubber-coated bullets, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, 4 Palestinians were directly hit with teargas canisters, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation during clashes with IOF that accompanied the latter’s suppression of a peaceful protest near Bab al-Zawiyia in Hebron, where IOF established an observation point and a military checkpoint particularly at the entrance to al-Shuhada closed street. The peaceful protest was organized to commemorate the 29th anniversary of al-Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, which was committed by an Israeli settler at the time.
Also, two Palestinians, including a journalist, were directly hit with teargas canisters, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation after IOF targeted dozens of protestors gathered ten meters away from the barbed wire fence in eastern Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis, against the IOF’s escalating violations in the West Bank.
On the same day, a 14-year-old child was hit with a teargas canister by IOF during the latter’s suppression of protestors gathered near the border fence, northeast of Jabalia. As a result, the child sustained brain laceration and was referred to al-Shifa Medical Complex, where his health condition was deemed critical.
On 26 February 2023, a Palestinian was hit with a live bullet in his foot in clashes with IOF during their incursion into Teqoa village in Bethlehem. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested a child after they raided his house.
On the same day, two Palestinians were shot with live and rubber bullets after IOF opened fire at persons for approaching the border fence, northeast of Jabalia refugee camp.
In the Gaza Strip, 8 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 4 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.
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So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 66 Palestinians, including 35 civilians; 11 of them were children and a woman, while the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 5 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 302 Palestinians, including 42 children, 2 women, and 8 journalists, were injured.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF displaced 4 families of 20, including 12 children and 4 women, after demolishing 5 houses; 4 of them were self-demolished by their owners. Also, IOF demolished 11 facilities and confiscated two vehicles in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 23 February 2023, IOF demolished 11 facilities, including commercial barracks and vegetable stalls, at the entrance to Jalamah village, north of Jenin.
On 25 February 2023, IOF confiscated a Burqin and Kafr ad-Dik municipal garbage truck, west of Salfit. They also detained the driver and two workers, threatening them not to put the garbage in that area again, under the pretext that the area is classified as Area “C”.
On the same day, IOF confiscated an excavator working in Qarawat Bani Hassan village lands, under the pretext of working in Area C.
On 26 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to implement the Israeli occupation municipal order and self-demolish his 100-sqm house in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering a family of 8, including a woman and 6 children, homeless.
On 27 February 2023, IOF notified to demolish a 120-sqm house sheltering a family of 6, including 4 children, as well as a house concrete slab in eastern Yatta city in Hebron.
On 28 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish two small houses built on an area of 120 square meters in Beit Hanina village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, the Palestinian and his wife have become homeless.
On the same day, IOF forced a Palestinian to implement the Israeli occupation municipal order and self-demolish his 30-sqm house in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 5, including a woman and 3 children, was displaced.
Also, IOF demolished parts of a 120-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 4, including a woman and 2 children, were displaced.
Moreover, IOF demolished the remaining parts of two under-construction houses belonging to 2 brothers in’ Issawiya village, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. The owners of the two houses were forced to self-demolish their houses 2 weeks ago. Also, IOF handed them a fine of 100,00 shekels for demolition costs and for the Israeli municipality staff and vehicles.
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Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 52 families homeless, a total of 315 persons, including 64 women and 142 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 54 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 53 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts:
A Palestinian was killed, and two others were injured by Israeli settlers’ fire in at least 100 attacks carried out by settlers under IOF’s protection. Most of those attacks mainly targeted Huwara village and Nablus’s southern villages, where Israeli settlers burned dozens of houses and vehicles, as part of retaliatory acts. Details are as follows:
On 23 February 2023, two Palestinians were injured: one with a live bullet in his abdomen and the other with a live bullet in his left thigh after Israeli settlers, from “Esh Kodesh” settlement outpost established on Nablus village’s lands, opened fire at them during their attack on the outskirts of Qusra village. The settlers also threw stones and opened fire at Palestinians and their houses at them.
On 25 February 2023, Israeli settlers, from “al-Ras” settlement outpost established on Salfit village’s lands, attacked a group of Palestinian farmers in the nearby lands and forced them to leave after opening fire in the air. The settlers also damaged a vehicle belonging to the farmers.
On 26 February 2023, hundreds of Israeli settlers conducted widescale violence and retaliatory acts under the protection of IOF in several villages in Nablus. As a result, a Palestinian was killed and another was wounded with bullets, while dozens of houses, facilities and vehicles were set ablaze. ( Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
On the same day, settlers set a poultry farm ablaze in Salfit, completely burning it and killing 2500 chicks. Also, the settlers set a vehicle ablaze at the entrance to Yasuf village, east of Salfit, and completely burned it.
Also, two Palestinians were beaten by Israeli settlers who threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and burned one of them in al-Mo’arajat area, north of Jericho.
On the same day, 3 Palestinians sustained bruises after Israeli settlers attacked their vehicles in the outskirts of Jibiya village, north of Ramallah. Also, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and houses in Sinjil and Al-Mughayyir villages and near Umm Safa village in Ramallah.
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Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 139 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 5 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones/ Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 184 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, at least 50 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 children. In the Gaza Strip, on 25 February 2023, IOF arrested 4 children while trying to infiltrate through the border fence adjacent to Um al-Nasser village and released them the next day. Also, IOF conducted 3 limited incursions in northern Beit Hanoun on 26 February 2033, in northeastern Jabalia on 28 February 2023, and in eastern Khan Yunis on 01 March 2023.
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So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1,765 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 891 Palestinians were arrested, including 16 women and 119 children. Also, IOF arrested 12 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip; 6 were fishermen and 6 were trying to infiltrate into Israel. IOF also conducted 5 incursions.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 126 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Since 26 February 2023, IOF have imposed a cordon on Huwara village in Nablus, place cement cubes on the main street, impede the movement of individuals and vehicles, and prevent the shops’ owners from opening. This cordon is part of the collective punishment measures following the killing of 2 settlers in a shooting attack near the village.
Since 27 February 2023, IOF have imposed a tight cordon on Jericho following the killing of an Israeli settler in a shooting attack near the city. IOF closed all checkpoints, main and sub-streets leading to the city and established more military checkpoints, impeding the movement of individuals and vehicles and searching them.
This week, IOF closed military checkpoints in Jerusalem and Bethlehem several times and reopened them later.
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So far in 2023, IOF established 1074 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 50 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Israeli warplanes struck several targets in Gaza (Thursday, February 23, 2023).
Palestinian cities are observing on Thursday a day of rage over the brutal Israeli massacre in Nablus a day earlier. Few hours earlier, Israeli warplanes staged several air strikes on Gaza.
Nablus and several other cities across Al-Quds and the West Bank, as well as Gaza, were in general strike on Thursday, with residents outraged over the brutal assault which killed 11 Palestinians and injured more than 100 others earlier on Wednesday.
Shops, schools, universities and several other businesses were shut in Nablus, Al-Khalil (Hebron), Ramallah, Jenin and other Palestinian cities in mourning of the eleven martyrs who fell after Israeli occupation forces raided Nablus Old City on Wednesday.
The martyrs included 3 elderly men and a child, Palestinian media reported, adding that 7 of the injured were in critical condition.
Nablus residents bid farewell to the Palestinian martyrs on Thursday, with photos and videos of weeping families circulating on social media.
Watch: Palestinian mourners take part today in the funeral procession of Palestinian youth Mohamed Abu Sabah, who succumbed, earlier this morning, to serious injuries sustained in the belly about two weeks ago by Israeli gunfire during a military raid in the city of Jenin. pic.twitter.com/2WxZ9QXWX5
Earlier on Thursday morning, Israeli warplanes carried out bombing raids against two sites in the Gaza Strip.
Fighter jets hit targets in central Gaza and in the coastal enclave’s northern part, the occupation military said in a statement, noting that the assault was after “six rockets were fired into southern Israel in an apparent revenge attack for a deadly Israeli incursion into Nablus a day earlier.”
lsraeli warplanes launch a series of air strikes on Gaza Strip earlier this morning. pic.twitter.com/wZQOeMrBAf
Videos shared on social media showed a large explosion at a building near the coast, and a dark plume of smoke rising above the densely populated enclave in the early morning light.
Israeli occupation police earlier raised their alert level amid fears of a reprisal attack, as a spokesman for Hamas’s military wing issued a veiled threat.
Hamas’ Qassem Hazem said the resistance group was “closely monitoring the enemy’s escalating crimes against our people in the occupied West Bank, and its patience is running out.”
For his part, the Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad Al-Nakhala called the Israeli raid a “huge crime.”
“It is our duty as resistance forces to respond to this crime without hesitation,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani denounced the spurt in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds, says the crisis-stricken ‘Israeli’ regime is doomed to degenerate and decay.
In a post published on his Twitter page on Wednesday, the spokesman said the vexatious measures by the occupying regime’s military against resistance fighters will fail to avert its imminent collapse.
“For a regime beset with an array of domestic crises and facing a Palestinian liberation struggle on the three fronts of the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and the 1948 ‘Israeli’-occupied territories, vexatious moves against the united Axis of Resistance will be of no avail,” he wrote.
“Decline and disintegration are inherent in the nature of the bogus [‘Israeli’] regime,” Kanaani added.
The apartheid regime’s aggression in the occupied territories has assumed alarming proportions recently with a spate of military raids and targeted attacks resulting in the cold-blooded killing of a number of young Palestinians.
The regime regularly carries out raids on various cities of the occupied West Bank on the pretext of detaining what it calls “wanted” Palestinians. These raids usually trigger violent confrontations with locals.
The United Nations marked 2022 as the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in 16 years.
On Monday, the ‘Israeli’ occupation forces killed a young Palestinian man during a military raid on the city of al-Khalil in the southern West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said 26-year-old Nasim Nayef Salman Abu Fouda was shot in the head after ‘Israeli’ troops stationed at the military checkpoint 160, south of the Ibrahimi Mosque, opened fire on his car.
He was taken to al-Ahli Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The development came a day after Palestinian medical officials said 24-year-old Omar Tareq Saadi died of serious injuries after being shot in the stomach by ‘Israeli’ troops during the violent raid on the Jenin refugee camp on January 26, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency reported.
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said Saadi was a former prisoner, who had spent about 3 years in ‘Israeli’ jails.
Earlier, the Zionist occupation forces had shot and killed a young Palestinian man over an alleged shooting attempt in the northern part of the West Bank.
Kanaani, in an earlier tweet on Tuesday, condemned the brutal aggression of ‘Israeli’ regime forces against Palestinian women at Damon Prison in the occupied territories after a report said the female detainees were assaulted and beaten violently.
“Beating female Palestinian inmates in #ZionistRegime’s Damon Prison [is] abhorrent,” he wrote, denouncing the double standards of Western governments on human rights and women’s rights.
“Do self-proclaimed rights defenders in Europe & US believe #HumanRights and women’s rights apply to Palestinian prisoners in ‘Israel’s’ horrifying jails?” he asked rhetorically.
The statement came after the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society [PPS] said that officers from the ‘Israeli’ Prison Service [IPS] had violently assaulted and beaten female Palestinian detainees inside Damon Prison.
16 Palestinians were killed, including 7 civilians: one was a woman, by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’ fire. Among those killed, one was shot dead by an Israeli settler, and three, including 2 children, succumbed to their previous injuries. Meanwhile, 51 Palestinians, including 12 children, were injured by IOF fire, and dozens of others suffocated. All those incidents took place in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, except for a child who succumbed to his previous injuries in the Gaza Strip. Details are as follows:
On 26 January 2023, IOF killed 9 Palestinians, including 4 civilians; one of them was a woman, and injured 29 others, including 2 children and 9 seriously injured, during IOF’s incursion into Jenin Refugee camp, west of Jenin. On 29 January 2023, a member of Palestinian armed groups succumbed to his injury. (Details available at PCHR’s press release.)
On the same day, Yousef Yehia Muhassin (22) was killed after being shot with a live bullet in his abdomen and two other Palestinians, including a child, were injured by IOF’s fire during the latter’s incursion into al-Ram village, north of occupied East Jerusalem, and being thrown with stones and Molotov cocktails.
On the same day, Nayif Khaled al-‘Ewidat (11) died after sustaining a shrapnel injury in his head as Israeli warplanes fired a missile at an agricultural land in ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis, on 06 August 2022.
On 27 January 2023, Wadee’ ‘Aziz Abu Romouz (16) succumbed to an explosive bullet injury he sustained in his abdomen on 25 January 2023 during clashes with IOF in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem. During his treatment at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, he received around 150 blood units and underwent 3 surgeries to stop the severe bleeding caused by the explosive bullet. Despite his critical health condition, IOF remained him under arrest, tied him to the bed, deployed inside and outside the room, and kept his body in custody.
On the same day, Khairy Mousa ‘Alqam (21) was killed during an exchange of fire with IOF in Beit Hanina village, north of occupied East Jerusalem. ‘Alqam was being chased by IOF after he carried out a shooting attack in Nabi Jacob settlement.
On 29 January 2023, Karam ‘Ali Salman (18) was killed by a settlement guard’s fire in the industrial area, east of Qalqilya, while trying to infiltrate into Kedumim settlement with a rifle as shown in a footage published by the Israeli media.
On 30 January 2023, Naseem Nayif Fouda (26) was killed after being shot with a live bullet in his head while driving his vehicle near a military checkpoint at the entrance to al-Salaymah neighborhood, southeast of al-Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. ( Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of IOF’s excessive use of force and shooting during their incursion into the Palestinian cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 26 January 2023, 7 Palestinians, including 2 children, were shot with live and rubber-coated bullets during clashes with IOF in front of Beit Eil military checkpoint at the northern entrance to al-Bireh City.
On the same day, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were shot with rubber-coated bullets during clashes with IOF at the northern entrance to Jericho.
Also, a child sustained a live bullet injury in his hand during IOF’s incursion into Tammun village southeast of Tubas. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian.
On 27 January 2023, 3 Palestinians were injured with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were injured with rubber-coated bullets during clashes with IOF at ‘Azzun village entrance, east of Qalqilya. Additionally, a child was shot with a rubber-coated bullet during clashes with IOF in southern Qalqilya.
On 28 January 2023, a Palestinian was injured with an explosive bullet during clashes with IOF in front of Mavi Dotan checkpoint at the entrance to Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. As a result, part of his right foot was amputated.
On the same day, a child was injured with a live bullet in his right foot during clashes with IOF at Abu al-Rish military checkpoint near al-Ibrahimi Mosque, south of Hebron. Also, a child was shot with 2 live bullets in his foot during IOF’s incursion into Al- Izzariya village in occupied East Jerusalem. Additionally, a child was injured with a live bullet during IOF’s incursion into Bir Nabala village, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem.
On 29 January 2023, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were injured by IOF’s fire during clashes with IOF in front of a military watchtower established at the entrance to Nabi Salih village, northwest of Ramallah. The child was shot with a rubber-coated bullet and the other Palestinian was shot with a live bullet.
In the Gaza Strip, 5 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip.
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So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 36 Palestinians, including 17 civilians; 6 of them were children, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including a child and 3 were killed by settlers allegedly for carrying out stabbing and shooting attacks. Meanwhile, dozens were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF displaced 5 families of 25, including 12 children and 6 women, after demolishing 5 houses and 8 civilian facilities. IOF also handed cease-construction notices in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 27 January 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 65-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering a family of 5, including a woman and 3 children, homeless.
On 28 January 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 50-sqm under-construction house in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On 29 January 2023, IOF demolished a 250-sqm house of 2 floors in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, 3 families of 11, including 4 women and 3 children, were displaced.
On the same day, IOF handed a cease-construction notice for a 100-sqm under-construction house and a 100-sqm tinplate barrack in Al-Burj village, west of Dura in Hebron.
On 30 January 2023, IOF demolished a 200-sqm auto repair shop built of bricks and tinplate in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On the same day, IOF demolished 3 livestock barracks built on an area of 150 sqms in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On 01 February 2023, IOF demolished a 100-sqm house in Al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 9, including a woman and 6 children, was displaced.
On the same day, IOF demolished a 120-sqm under-construction house in Beit Jala village, northwest of Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. Also, IOF demolished a 250-sqm café in Beit Hanina village in occupied East Jerusalem in addition to a 30-sqm wooden room in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem. Moreover, they demolished two 30-sqm containers and a 5-meter retaining wall surrounding a 800-sqm plot of land in Sur Baher village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction. Meanwhile, IOF demolished a 500-sqm barrack that included agricultural tools and handed 9 cease-construction notices for inhabited and under-construction houses in Deir Ballut village, west of Salfit.
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Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 31 families homeless, a total of 207 persons, including 27 women and 96 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 31 houses; 5 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 3 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 36 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks on Palestinian civilians and their properties:
Settlers, protected by IOF, carried out 12 attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 27 January 2023, 5 Palestinians were injured with live bullets after an Israeli settler directly opened fire at them at Beita village intersection, southeast of Nablus.
On the same day, Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian near Wadi al-Mutawi, west of Kafr ad-Dik village in western Salfit, causing bruises to him. Also, settlers opened fire at Palestinians in Sidat al-Tha’la area, east of Yatta in southern Hebron, but no casualties were reported.
On 28 January 2023, Israeli settlers, under IOF’s protection, burned 3 vehicles and smashed windows and lights of an ambulance belonging to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in ‘Aqraba and Majdal Bani Fadil villages, southeast of Nablus.
On the same day, setters burned a house, smashed the windows of another, uprooted 6 olive trees, and closed the main street connecting Turmus’Ayya village with Al-Mughayyir village in northern Ramallah. Also, Israeli settlers, protected by IOF, threw stones at Palestinians’ vehicles on a road connecting Nablus with Qalqilya near Kedumim intersection, and on a road connecting Turmus’Ayya village with Al-Mughayyir village, north of Ramallah. They also smashed the windows of 2 vehicles.
On 29 January 2023, settlers beat a Palestinian and fractured his leg, and burned two vehicles in Jalud village, southeast of Nablus.
On 30 January 2023, Israeli settlers, under IOF’s protection, uprooted 50 olive trees and wrote racist slogans dubbed “Death to Arabs” in Sinjil village, northeast of Ramallah.
On the same day, settlers punctured the tires of 30 vehicles in al-Eskan area near the industrial area in Al-Bireh.
On 01 February 2023, settlers punctured the tires of 10 vehicles and wrote racist slogans against Arabs calling for revenge in Deir Dibwan village, east of Ramallah.
”
Since the beginning of the year, settlers conducted at least 29 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property.
Collective Punishment:
On 29 January 2023, as part of their collective punishment policy, IOF sealed off a residential apartment in al-Tur village in occupied East Jerusalem. The apartment belongs to the family of Khairy ‘Alqam, who was killed after carrying out a shooting attack in occupied East Jerusalem on 27 January 2023. A As a result, a family of 9, including 5 children and 3 women, were displaced. Following the shooting attack, IOF raided ‘Alqam’s family house, arrested his parents and some of his relative, expelled the rest of his family members, and prevented anyone from entering it. Meanwhile, IOF is still stationed around the house.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 280 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 113 Palestinians were arrested, including 3 women and 8 children; one of them was with a mobility impairment.
”
So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1103 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 510 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 women and 55 children.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 192 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 10 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 26 January 2023, IOF closed Shu’fat military checkpoint, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, and reopened it later.
On 28 January 2023, IOF blocked traffic at al-Zaytona military checkpoint in al-Tur village and closed with cement cubes the entrance to Anata village in occupied East Jerusalem.
On the same day, IOF closed the western entrance to Husan village to vehicles’ movement, and closed the military checkpoint 300 in northern Bethlehem, and reopened them later.
On 29 January 2023, IOF closed Qalandia and al-Jib checkpoints in occupied East Jerusalem and later reopened them. On the same day, IOF closed the northern and western entrances to Tekoa village and reopened them later.
On 30 January 2023, IOF obstructed vehicles’ movement at Jab’ military checkpoint and closed Qalandia military checkpoint in occupied East Jerusalem and reopened it later. On the same day, IOF tightened restrictions at al-Container military checkpoint in Bethlehem, blocking traffic.
On 31 January 2023, IOF closed the western entrance to Husan village to vehicles’ movement and reopened it later.
On 28 January 2023, IOF tightened restrictions at military checkpoints established at the main and sub entrances to Jericho, including blocking traffic, searching vehicles and checking Palestinians’ IDs.
”
So far in 2023, IOF established 618 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 31 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
4 Palestinians were killed: 3 of them, including a civilian and a child, were shot by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) while the fourth was shot dead by a settler. Moreover, 17 others, including 2 children, were wounded, and dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 19 January 2023, IOF killed 2 Palestinians, including a civilian, wounded 3 others and arrested five during the IOF’s incursion into Jenin refugee camp, west of Jenin. Details available in PCHR’s press release.
On 21 January 2023, an Israeli settler shot dead Tareq ‘Odah Ma’ali (43), who allegedly tried to stab the settler with a sharp tool at “Sde Ephraim” settlement outpost near Ras Karkar village, north of Ramallah. A footage showed Ma’ali running after the settler, who fired several bullets at him, and captured him falling on the ground. Later on, IOF announced his death and kept his body in custody.
On 25 January 2023, Mohammad Ali Abed Mohammad Ali (17) was killed with a live bullet in the chest, and 4 others were wounded by IOF’s fire after the latter moved into ‘Anata village in East Jerusalem. A footage showed MohammadAli taking part in the confrontations while being masked and carrying a weapon. After IOF arrested him while wounded, it turned out that the weapon he was carrying was a toy. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 3 Palestinians, including a child, and destroyed a residential apartment belonging to the family of ‘Uday al-Tamimi, who was killed after carrying out 2 shooting attacks in occupied Jerusalem last October. This demolition falls under IOF’s collective punishment policy.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force and shooting that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 20 January 2023, 5 Palestinians were wounded with rubber-coated metal bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum peaceful weekly protest, northern Qalqilya.
On 25 January 2023, 2 children were seriously injured in Al-Lawza neighborhood in central Silwan village, south of East Jerusalem’s Old City, during IOF’s incursion into the village to arrest a Palestinian. IOF surrounded the 2 Children and prevented anyone from approaching them. They were then transferred by an Israeli ambulance to Israel.
On the same day, 3 Palestinians were wounded with live bullets during IOF’s incursion into Nour Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm.
In the Gaza Strip, 12 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern and northern Gaza Strip, and 7 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores.
”
So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 20 Palestinians, including 9 civilians; 4 of them were children, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including a child and 2 killed by two settlers allegedly for carrying out stabbing attacks. Meanwhile, dozens were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF displaced 5 families of 40, including 28 children after demolishing 10 houses and confiscating cactus seedlings in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 19 January 2023, IOF confiscated 120 cactus seedlings in Al-Jawaya area, eastern Yatta, south of Hebron.
On 21 January 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 120-sqm house in Ras Al-‘Amoud neighborhood in East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C. As a result, a family of 7, including 5 children, was displaced.
On 22 January 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 150-sqm under-construction house in Ras Al-‘Amoud neighborhood in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.
On 25 January 2023, IOF demolished 6 houses in Al-Dyouk Al-Tahta village, west of Jericho, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C, noting that PCHR’s fieldworker could not collect more information about the 4 houses, but was able to document displacement of 2 families of 16, including 2 women and 12 children.
On the same day, IOF demolished a 50-sqm agricultural house built of bricks and tinplate in Ma’in village, southern Yatta, south of Hebron, rendering a family of 9, including 6 children, homeless. In the same area, another 40-sqm agricultural house was demolished, displacing a family of 8, including 5 children, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.
”
Since the beginning of 2023, and according to what we have been able to document, IOF made 22 families homeless, a total of 152 persons, including 17 women and 68 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 26 houses; 7 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 3 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 20 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition, cease-construction, and evacuation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
House demolitions on grounds of Collective Punishment
On 25 January 2023, large forces of Israeli soldiers raided ‘Anata village in East Jerusalem and surrounded an 11-storey residential building, which was evacuated. They closed a residential apartment on the 6th floor belonging to the family of ‘Uday Al-Tamimi after destroying its walls and internal contents as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy. Al-Tamimi was killed after carrying out 2 shooting attacks in occupied Jerusalem last October. Due to the apartment demolition, a family of 7, including 3 women, was displaced. During the incursion, clashes broke out between the young men and IOF, killing a 17-year-old Muhammad Ali Abd Muhammad Ali, and wounding 4 civilians. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested 3 Palestinians, including a child.
”
So far in 2023, 3 houses were demolished as a result of collective punishment.
Settler-attacks
Settlers, protected by IOF, carried out 4 attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 19 January 2023, a settler razed and excavated 2 plots of land of 225 dunums, after confiscating them to turn them into an agricultural settlement outpost in Al-Ras area between Qalandia and Rafat villages, northwest of East Jerusalem.
On 20 January 2023, a settler uprooted 25 olive seedlings in Al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem.
On 22 January 2023, settlers, supported by IOF, razed a plot of land planted with 300 olive trees in Kafr Qaddoum village, north of Qalqilya.
On 23 January 2023, settlers threw stones at a Palestinian vehicle and smashed its windows in Sinjil village, northeast of Ramallah.
”
Since the beginning of the year, settlers conducted at least 17 attacks against Palestinians and their property.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 200 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 106 Palestinians were arrested, including a journalist, 3 women and 19 children; one of them was sick.
”
According to PCHR’s documentation, so far in 2023, IOF conducted 819 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 397 Palestinians were arrested, including 5 women and 47 children.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 122 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and arrested 7 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 20 January 2023, IOF closed Qalandia military checkpoint, north of East Jerusalem, and later reopened it.
On 22 January 2023, IOF closed the detector gate at the western entrance to Husan village, west of Bethlehem, and later reopened it.
On 23 January 2023, IOF closed the northern entrance to Teko’a village, southeast of Bethlehem and later reopened it.
On 25 January 2023, IOF closed Shu’fat refugee camp checkpoint, northeast of East Jerusalem, during IOF’s incursion into the camp and demolition of ‘Uday Al-Tamimi’s house. Later, IOF reponed the checkpoint.
”
So far in 2023, IOF established 426 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 21 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
مقاومون من مخيم جنين يتصدون لعدوان إسرائيلي على المخيم شمالي الضفة الغربية، وارتقاء عدد من الشهداء، ووقوع إصابات برصاص الاحتلال في المخيم.
من تصدي أهالي مخيم جنين لاعتداءات قوات الاحتلال
أفادت وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية، اليوم الخميس، بارتقاء 9 مواطنين فلسطينيين على الأقل بينهم سيدة مسنة، وإصابة عدد كبير من الإصابات، جرّاء عدوان الاحتلال الإسرائيلي على مخيم جنين، في حصيلةٍ غير نهائية.
أفادت وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية، اليوم الخميس، بارتقاء 9 مواطنين فلسطينيين على الأقل بينهم سيدة مسنة، وإصابة عدد كبير من الإصابات، جرّاء عدوان الاحتلال الإسرائيلي على مخيم جنين، في حصيلةٍ غير نهائية.
وأشارت الوزارة إلى وجود 16 إصابة بينها 4 بحالة خطيرة، مشيرةً إلى أنّ شهداء قسم الطوارئ هم المواطنة ماجدة عبيد، وعبد الله مروان الغول، ومحمد صادق جرار.
ولفتت الوزارة إلى أنّه باستشهاد شهداء جنين اليوم، يرتفع عدد شهداء المخيم منذ بداية العام الحالي إلى 19 شهيداً.
واستشهد الشاب الفلسطيني عز صلاحات برصاص الاحتلال في مخيم جنين، في إثر العدوان على المخيم، بالتوزاي مع منع الاحتلال أطقم الإسعاف من الدخول إليه.
وأشارت وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية إلى وصول إصابة بالرصاص الحي في الشريان الرئيسي بالفخذ إلى مستشفى ابن سينا في جنين، مضيفةً أنّ وضعها حرج للغاية.
كما تحدثت وزارة الصحة عن إصابات بالاختناق في صفوف المرضى بينهم أطفال داخل مستشفى جنين الحكومي نتيجة إطلاق قوات الاحتلال قنابل الغاز في تجاه المستشفى.
تغطية صحفية | الصحة: إصابات بالاختـــــ،،ناق في صفوف المرضى بينهم #أطفال داخل مستشفى #جنين الحكومي نتيجة إطلاق قوات الاحتلال قـــــ،،نابل الغاز تجاه المستشفى . pic.twitter.com/XRDylOlymv
وشدّدت وزيرة الصحة الفلسطينية، مي الكيلة، أنّ “الوضع في مخيم جنين حرج”، مشيرةً إلى أنّ “الاحتلال يمنع إسعاف المصابين”.
وأضافت الكيلة أنّ الوزارة تبلغت من الهلال الأحمر بوجود إصابات عديدة يصعب إنقاذها وإخلاؤها حتى الآن، مؤكّدةً أنّ “قوات الاحتلال يمنع دخول مركبات الإسعاف إلى داخل مخيم جنين”.
وأفادت وزيرة الصحة الفلسطينية بأنّ “قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي اعتدت على مشفى جنين وأطلقت قنابل غاز في اتجاه المرضى”.
وفي السياق، قال مراسل الميادين إنّ “جيش الاحتلال يستعد لتشكيل القبة الحديدية خوفاً من رد فعل من غزة في أعقاب العملية غير العادية في جنين”.
ووصف العدوان الإسرائيلي بالـ”عدوان الكبير غير المسبوق منذ سنوات لقوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي على المخيم”.
وتابع أنّ “العدوان الاسرائيلي على مخيم جنين غير مسبوق منذ سنوات، وهو جريمة منظمة”، مشدداً على أنّ “معظم الإصابات هي في الأطراف العلوية”.
بدورها، ذكرت قناة “كان” الإسرائيلية أنّ “العملية العسكرية في جنين انطلقت بعد معلومات استخبارية من جهاز الشاباك حول نية حركة الجهاد الإسلامي تنفيذ عملية كبيرة ضد أهداف إسرائيلية، وكان الهدف من العملية اعتقال عضو بارز في الحركة”.
25 عملاً مقاوماً في الضفة الغربية والقدس
بالتزامن، رصد مركز المعلومات الفلسطيني، تنفيذ 25 عملاً مقاوماً في الضفة الغربية والقدس المحتلة خلال الـساعات الـ24 الماضية، بينها 5 عمليات إطلاق نار، وتفجير عبوات ناسفة وإلقاء زجاجات حارقة ومحاولة طعن.
وأوضح المركز بأنّ أعمال المقاومة تتواصل في الضفة الغربية والقدس المحتلة ضد قوات الاحتلال ومستوطنيه، حيث تصدى الشبان لاعتداءات المستوطنين أصيب خلالها اثنان من جنود الاحتلال.
كذلك، استهدف مقاومون حاجز قلنديا العسكري بالرصاص، وأطلقوا النار وألقوا العبوات الناسفة والزجاجات الحارقة في اتجاه قوات الاحتلال خلال اقتحامها مخيم شعفاط في القدس المحتلة.
الشهيد محمد علي أبو صلاح من مُخيم شعفاط ، ارتقى برصاص الإحتلال خلال المواجهات التي اندلعت اليوم تزامناً مع هدم منزل الشهيد عدي التميمي. يا مُدرِك الثارات أدرِك ثأرنا.
وأضاف مكتب إعلام الأسرى أنّ قوات الاحتلال اعتقلت الطالب في الثانوية العامة، أحمد محمد أبو نفيسة، بعد مداهمة منزله في بلدة طمون جنوب طوباس.
تغطية صحفية:" قوات الاحتلال تعتقل الأسـ.ـير المحرر أحمد خليل ابو لطيفة، بعد مداهمة أحد المحال التجارية خلال اقتحامها لمدينة رام الله، قبل قليل". pic.twitter.com/Lrj8wmJbVi
كما اعتقلت قوات الاحتلال الشاب عيسى المعطي بعد مداهمة منزله في مخيم الدهيشة في بيت لحم.
تغطية صحفية:" قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي تعتقل الطالب في الثانوية العامة أحمد محمد أبو نفيسة بعد اقتحام منزله في بلدة طمون جنوب مدينة طوباس". pic.twitter.com/fN05KP469u
Five Palestinians were killed, including 4 civilians; one of them was a child, and another civilian succumbed to his previous injury. Meanwhile, 21 Palestinians, including a woman, 2 children and a journalist, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacks in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 12 January 2023, IOF killed Sameer ‘Awni Aslan (41) and arrested 14 Palestinians, including his child, during IOF’s incursion into Qalandia refugee camp in East Jerusalem. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On the same day, IOF killed 2 Palestinians, including a civilian, wounded 3 others, including a child, and arrested another during IOF’s incursion into Qabatiya village in Jenin. ( Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 14 January 2023, Yazan Samer al-Ja’bari (19) succumbed to a live bullet injury in the abdomen after IOF opened fire at him during their incursion into Kafr Dan village in Jenin on 02 January 2023. During their incursion, IOF killed 2 Palestinians and demolished two houses as part of their collective punishment policy. ( Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 15 January 2023, IOF killed in cold blood Ahmed Hasan Kahleh (45) after directly open fire at him in an operation that amounts to an extrajudicial execution near Silwad village, east of Ramallah in the West Bank. IOF also arrested his son and released him later. ( Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 16 January 2023, ‘Amr Khaked Khmour (14) was killed after being wounded with a live bullet in his head by IOF during clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested a Palestinian and a female Italian solidarity activist, who was later deported to her country.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of IOF’s shooting and excessive use of force during IOF’s incursions into the Palestinian cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 12 January 2023, 5 Palestinians, including a journalist, were injured with live bullets, their shrapnel and rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s incursion into Nablus’s Old City. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested 5 Palestinians.
On 13 January 2023, 3 Palestinians were injured with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his chest in clashes with IOF during their incursion into Jalazone refugee camp in northern Ramallah. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested a Palestinian. Meanwhile, a Palestinian was injured with a live bullet in his foot during clashes with IOF in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. Also, a Palestinian sustained a rubber-coated bullet injury during clashes with IOF in al- Tur village in East Jerusalem.
On 14 January 2023, 3 Palestinians, including a child, were shot with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, IOF fired live bullets at two Palestinians, wounding them in their feet when they approached the annexation wall in Hableh village in Qalqilya.
On 17 January 2023, a Palestinian and his sister were injured by IOF’s indiscriminate gunfire after the latter killed a Palestinian claiming that he opened fire at them at a checkpoint on al-Nabi Younis Road in northern Hebron.
In the Gaza Strip, 5 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern and northern Gaza Strip, and 3 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.
”
So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 15 Palestinians, including 7 civilians; 3 were children, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups; one was a child, and a young man killed by an Israeli settler allegedly for carrying out a stabbing attack. Meanwhile, dozens were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF displaced a family of 9, including a woman and 7 children, after demolishing 3 houses. IOF also destroyed 16 civilian facilities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 13 January 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 100-sqm house in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C, rendering a family of 9, including 7 children, homeless.
On 15 January 2023, IOF demolished 16 industrial and commercial facilities in Hizam village, north of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.
On 17 January 2023, IOF demolished a 200-sqm house of 2 floors in Beit Safafa village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.
On 18 January 2023, IOF demolished a 200-sqm under-construction house, a wooden hut, a steel container, and another built of tinplate, a fence surrounding a 500-sqm plot of land, and 3 electricity poles in Arab Ramadin village in southern Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.
”
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 17 families homeless, a total of 112 persons, including 17 women and 40 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 16 houses: owners of 5 of these houses were forced to self-demolish them while 2 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 20 other civilian objects, razed other property and delivered dozens of notices of demolition, cease-construction, and evacuation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks on Palestinian civilians and their properties
Settlers, protected by IOF, carried out 3 attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 13 January 2023, Israeli settlers uprooted 65 olive trees in Kafr ad-Dik village, west of Salfit.
On the same day, settlers wrote racist slogans, such as “Death to Arabs” “Death to Christians” on the walls of the Armenian Patriarchate Building near Hebron Gate in East Jerusalem.
On 15 January 2023, settlers conducted construction works to fix a gate on al-Hamra land, which they had recently seized, in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem.
”
Since the beginning of the year, settlers conducted at least 13 attacks against Palestinians and their properties.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians
IOF carried out 193 incursions into the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 111 Palestinians were arrested, including a female Italian solidarity activist, a woman and 18 children.
So far in 2023, IOF conducted 541 incursions into the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during which 291 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 women and 38 children. IOF also conducted 2 limited incursions into eastern Gaza Strip.
Israeli collective punishment and closure policy and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 111 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and arrested 4 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
”
So far in 2023, IOF established 304 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 14 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
The Israeli Occupation Forces executed Ahmed Kahla at the Silwad military checkpoint in Ramallah after forcing him out of his car.
IOF shoots Ahmed Kahla at point-blank after forcing him out of his car at the Silwad checkpoint, Ramallah, Palestine.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced, on Sunday, that a Palestinian citizen was martyred, through direct execution by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), near Silwad, east of Ramallah.
Ahmad Kahla, 45 years old, was executed point-blank after a verbal confrontation with the IOF at the Israeli occupation’s Silwad checkpoint.
According to Wafa news agency, there was a verbal confrontation between Kahla and Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint before they “forced him out of his vehicle ” and shot him “point-blank.”
Watch: The moment Israeli forces shot dead Ahmad Kahla, 45, at the western entrance of the town of Silwad, near Ramallah. pic.twitter.com/QuPIbMTtHq
— Wafa News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) January 15, 2023
The martyrdom of Kahla, who was reportedly shot in the neck, after which he succumbed to his wounds, brings the total number of Palestinian martyrs for 2023 to 13.
Two Palestinians martyred by IOF bullets south of Jenin
Yesterday, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced the martyrdom of two young men, Izz al-Din Bassem Hamamra, 24 years old, and Amjad Adnan Khaliliya, 23 years old, during a confrontation with the IOF following their aggression on the town of Jaba, south of Jenin.
Palestinian media added that occupation forces opened fire on a vehicle at the Jaba junction, killing the two young men who were inside it.
Watch: The moment Israeli forces shot dead Ahmad Kahla, 45, at the western entrance of the town of Silwad, near Ramallah. pic.twitter.com/QuPIbMTtHq
— Wafa News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) January 15, 2023
Palestinians perform Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque (Friday, Jan 13, 2023).
Hundreds of Palestinians perform Fajr and Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem), few hours after a Palestinian has succumbed to wounds sustained by Israeli fire on Thursday.
Hundreds of Palestinians perform Al-Fajr and Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite heavy measures by Israeli occupation forces in occupied Al-Quds.
In Pictures: Hundreds of Palestinians perform Al-Fajr (dawn) prayer at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, today 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/B8ncGWpMu1
Mourning in Jenin Meanwhile on Friday, Palestinians bid farewell to two martyrs who fell on Thursday by Israeli occupation forces in Jenin and Qabatiya.
Palestinian media reported that Abdel Hadi Fakhri Nazzal, 19, succumbed late Thursday to wounds sustained during a raid by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin.
In Pictures: Palestine mourns yet another two of its youths, Abdulhadi Nazal and Habib Kemil, killed yesterday by 'Israel' in Jenin. pic.twitter.com/mwFhK76s1R
Wafa news agency quoted the Director of Al-Razi Hospital in Jenin Dr. Fawaz Hammad as saying that Nazzal was transferred to the hospital on Thursday, after being seriously injured by live Israeli bullet in the neck and chest.
Earlier on Thursday, a 25-year-old Palestinian, Habib Mohammad Abdel Rahman Kamil, was martyred during an Israeli raid in Jenin. Local sources reported that Kamil was targeted by a live bullet in the head.
«اللهم ليلةً كليلة رعد»؛ طوال الأشهر التي أعقبت عمليّته في شارع ديزنغوف وسط مدينة تل أبيب، لهِج بذلك الدعاء الآلافُ ممَّن احتفظوا ببهيج صنيعه في دواخلهم. حين تَحنق النفوس بالغيظ عقب كلّ جريمة اغتيال، يَحضر طيف ابن الـ29 ربيعاً، شابّاً أنيق المظهر، يقف في مقابل شارع يزدحم بالمقاهي والمحالّ التجارية، يُشهر في تمام الساعة التاسعة من مساء يوم الخميس 7/4/2022 سلاحه، آذناً لعقارب التاريخ بأن تُسجّل وقائع انتقامه. مهندس الحاسوب المبدع، الذي يلقّبه أهل مخيم جنين بـ«السايبر»، وُلد في عائلة صَنعت الشهادةُ والتضحية سيرتها. والده هو فتحي خازم، أحد أبرز مطارَدي الانتفاضة الأولى، والذي سيغدو بعد استشهاد نجله أباً روحياً للمقاومين. أمّا خالاه، فهما عثمان السعدي (أبو العواصف)، أحد شهداء الثورة الفلسطينية في لبنان؛ ومحمد السعدي، قائد منظّمة «الفهد الأسود»، الذي كان قد قضى في اشتباك مسلّح في جنين مطلع التسعينيات؛ وزوج خالته هو القائد في حركة «الجهاد الإسلامي»، الشيخ بسام السعدي، الذي أمضى حياته متنقّلاً بين سجون الاحتلال.
يصفه مَن عرفه بحدّة الذكاء، والعبقرية في مجال شبكات الإنترنت وهندسة الحاسوب. شخصيّته وادعة مسالمة، لكنه «غامض، حيث لم يَجد أحد من جيرانه تفسيراً لصمته الدائم». يحقّ القول إن رعد أفرغَ، برفقة شقيقة الشهيد عبد الرحمن، قدْراً وافراً من مخزون ما يمكن أن يقولاه بلسانَيهما، في صنيعهما البطولي في «ديزنغوف»، والذي أدّى إلى مقتل ثلاثة إسرائيليين، تَبيّن لاحقاً أن اثنين منهم خدما في شعبة الاستخبارات العسكرية في جيش الاحتلال، فضلاً عن إصابة 15 آخرين. عملية شكّلت فاتحة عصر جديد، وألهبت حماسة الآلاف من أشباههما. بعدما استنفد ما لديه من رصاصات، استنفر انسحابُه المدروس من مسرح العملية، نحو 1000 جندي إسرائيلي للبحث عنه بين شوارع تل أبيب ويافا. في أحد مساجد المدينة العروس، صلّى فجر الجمعة الأولى من رمضان، رافضاً تسليم نفسه، ومعيداً كَرّة الاشتباك بما تبقّى لديه من رصاصات. قُتل رعد الصامت دائماً، تاركاً لفلسطين كلّها أن تزهو بضجيج الفعل العظيم.
عديّ… وما أدْراكَ ما عديّ؟
قُبالة حاجز «معاليه أدوميم»، سَجّل عدي التميمي ظهوره التاريخي الأخير. ما قاله محمود درويش مجازاً: «اضرب عدوّك بي»، طبّقه ابن مخيم شعفاط واقعاً. يَفتح جنديان مخازن الرصاص تجاه جسده، فسيتمرّ هو في إطلاق النار. تخترق الطلقات قدمَيه، فيواصل الاشتباك، قافزاً في الهواء ومحاولاً استراق مزيد من الثواني، قبل أن يَسقط ويتابع إطلاق الرصاص حتى النفَس الأخير والأثير. ستَكتب تفاصيل تلك الثواني سيرة المطارَد المشتبِك بمِداد الخلود. ابن الأعوام الـ23 كان قد نفّذ عمليّته الأولى على حاجز شعفاط في مساء 8/10/2022، حيث وثّقته كاميرات المراقبة أيضاً، يَخرج من سيارة أجرة بكلّ هدوء وثقة، ثم يُطلق الرصاص على رؤوس الجنود والجنديّات، فيَقتل إحداهنّ، قبل أن يلوذ منسحِباً. طوال أحد عشر يوماً من البحث والمطاردة، تحوَّل الشاب الأيقونة إلى ظاهرة ملهِمة؛ إذ حَلق المئات من شباب مخيّمه أوّلاً رؤوسهم كي يعقّدوا عمليات البحث عنه، ثمّ أضحى «كاركتير» شخصيته أيقونة يتمثّل بها الشبّان حتى خارج فلسطين.
«شابّ متأنّق دوماً، يفيض بالقوّة والإيمان. رياضي من الطراز الأوّل، يمارس لعبة كمال الأجسام. يعشق الأطفال، ويُكثر مشاكستهم، شهم وصاحب نخوة». بتلك الأوصاف تحدّث عنه جيرانه، وبأكثر من ذلك حيّاه الجميع، صحافيون وقادة فصائل، مقاومون وسياسيون، استطاع الشابّ «الأقرع» أن يحتلّ نبض قلوبهم. في وصيّته، أدرك عديّ أن عمليته هي «نقطة في بحر النضال الهادر»، وعَلم أيضاً أنه سيستشهد «عاجلاً أم آجلاً»، و«(أنّني) لم أحرّر فلسطين بالعملية، ولكن نفّذتُها واضعاً هدفاً أساسياً»، هو أن «يَحمل مئات من الشباب البندقية مِن بَعدي». قضى عديّ محقّقاً الهدف الذي أراد، ليسجّل العام الذي نُوقّعه باسمه وبأسماء رفاقه الفدائيين، أكبر حضور لعمليات المقاومة وشهدائها منذ 15 عاماً. لقد افتَتح التميمي عصر «الجيل الفلسطيني» الجديد، الذي يعي تماماً أنه «الآن حرّ وحرّ وحرّ».
إبراهيم النابلسي… عبق الورد والبارودة
لن يهرب «صاحب الأرواح التسع» هذه المرّة. أدرك، في صباح ذلك اليوم، أنه في الساعات الأخيرة من حياته؛ إذ لا يكفي ما بحوزته من رصاص لمجابهة نحو 500 جندي من جيش الاحتلال، اقتحموا البلدة القديمة في نابلس لتصفيته. «أمّي، أنا إبراهيم… أنا استشهدت»، كانت تلك آخر الكلمات التي حكاها لوالدته. تقول أم إياد، في حديثها إلى «الأخبار»: «قلتُ له بلهفة، رح تهرب منهم يا حبيبي، مثل كلّ مرة يا إبراهيم، ردّ قال أنا بحبك، أنا استشهدت يا أمي». ابن الـ24 ربيعاً كان قد سجّل اسمه في قوائم المطلوبين مبكراً، حيث شارك في السادسة عشرة من عمره، مع رفاقه محمد الدخيل وأدهم مبروكة وأشرف مبسلط، في زرْع عبوة ناسفة قرب موقع لجيش الاحتلال على جبل جرزيم. وخلال سنوات من النشاط المقاوِم، أسّس مع نفر قليل من أصدقائه، ما عُرف لاحقاً بـ«خلية نابلس»، التي ستغدو بعد رحيله مجموعات كبيرة بمسمّيات عدّة، يتسابق المئات من الشبّان للانضمام إلى صفوفها، وتتصدّر مشهد الاشتباك بتنفيذ العشرات من عمليات إطلاق النار.
«يحبّه الكبار والصغار»، أمّا هو فـ«متيّمٌ بالصغار على وجه الخصوص»، تقول والدته، وتُواصل: «كان بهجة البيت، بريء ومتواضع، طيّب وعذب الخلق، يترك خلفه عبق الورد أينما حلّ». يروي عن بساطته وعزّة نفسه أيضاً، أبو جمال، شقيق صديقه الشهيد أدهم مبروكة: «كان إبراهيم ورفاقه الثلاثة يعملون يوماً أو يومَين في الأسبوع برفقتي في مجال الديكور والجبص كي يؤمّنوا مصروفهم الشخصي، أربعة شبّان يأكلون من وجبة واحدة، يتقاسمون باكيت سجائر واحد، كي لا يطلبوا من أحد حاجتهم». في أحد أعياد الأم، أهدى «أبو فتحي» والدته خاتم فضة، كان قد اشتراه من مصر «أون لاين» منقوشاً عليه: «لا تحزن إنه حيّ». تستذكر أم إياد، وهي أمّ لثلاثة أبناء وابنة، يعتقل الاحتلال نجلها الأكبر إياد إلى اليوم، تلك اللَفتات بالقول: «إبراهيم كان يهيّئني دائماً للحظة استشهاده، وحين كنت أحاول إقناعه بأن يلتفت إلى حياته ومستقبله، كانت طريقته البسيطة في الإقناع لا تُبقي لديّ ما يمكن قوله».
بعد أن كثّف الاحتلال من مطاردته، وظهر «البطل» مودّعاً رفاقه واحداً تلو الآخر، أجمعت على حبّه القلوب، وتَحقّق ما كان يتمنّاه من أن «يرى الناس صورة المقاوم الحقيقي». قضى «المطارَد الأوّل» في 9/8/2022، بعد حصار استمرّ أربع ساعات في حارة الحبلة في البلدة القديمة في نابلس، تاركاً رسالته المسجَّلة وصيّة لعشرات المقاومين مِن خَلفه: «أنا بحب أمي، حافظوا على الوطن من بَعدي، بوصّيكم ما حد يترك البارودة».
أدهم مبروكة… لم يستوحش طريق الحق
تجتمع في مسيرة الشهيد أدهم مبروكة، الشهير بـ«الشيشاني»، أبلغُ معاني التضحية والاغتراب. وحيداً بدأ الدرب برفقة أصدقائه الشهداء إبراهيم النابلسي وأشرف مبسلط ومحمد الدخيل، ووحيداً تحمّل أكلاف المواجهة مع الأجهزة الأمنية التابعة للسلطة من جهة، وملاحقة جيش الاحتلال من جهة أخرى. يقول شقيقه الأكبر أبو جمال في حديثه إلى «الأخبار»: «أدهم صديقي الحميم، إنسان عصامي جداً، عزيز النفس، اعتُقل مرات عدّة في سجون السلطة، أطولُ تلك الاعتقالات تجاوزت مدّته العامين ونصف العام، خرج من السجن وقد خُلع كتفه من التعذيب والشبح». الطريق الذي بدأه «الشيشاني» برفقة «خلية نابلس»، تحمّل أعباءه المادّية من كدّه وعرق جبينه؛ إذ إنه وعلى رغم إصابته البالغة، كان يجتهد في العمل مع شقيقه في مجال التشطيب والديكور والبناء، ليؤمّن مصاريف المطاردة. «اشترى بندقيّته من عَرق جبينه»، يقول شقيقه، ويتابع: «بعد استشهاده، اجتهدنا في البحث عن مَن لديه حق أو دَين مادي في عنقه، اكتشفنا أنه مَدين بأكثر من ألفي دولار هي ما تبقّى من ثمن بندقيته».
تأثَّر «الشيشاني»، في أدبيات المقاومة و«الاتّصال الإلهي»، بكلٍّ من الشهيدَين جمال الكيال وجميل العموري. عايش إحساس التعلّق بسيرتهما، وكتب عن ذلك في صفحته على «فايسبوك»: «إذا تعلّقتَ بشهيد ما، فاعلم أن هذا الشهيد اختارك لتُكمل مسيرته، لذلك كُن فكرة». تصفه والدته التي رفعت إشارة النصر أمام الآلاف من مشيّعيه، بالقول: «كان حنوناً يحبّ الخير والناس، عنيداً في خياراته، لم يلتفت إلى تهديدات ضابط المخابرات الإسرائيلي المستمرّة، رَفض تسليم نفسه، وآثر أن يمضي في طريقه حتى الشهادة». يكمل شقيقه الأكبر أبو جمال: «كان خجولاً وحسّاساً، يستحي من أن يحمل سلاحه أمام سكّان الحي، كي لا يكون هذا السلاح مَدعاة للتظاهر والاستعراض، يُرسل من يشتري له أغراضه حتى يتجنّب إصرار أصحاب المتاجر على أن لا يأخذوا منه الأموال بدافع الكرم والحب».
تَكشف تفاصيل عملية اغتياله ورفاقه في 8/2/2022، قدْر الغيظ الذي اعتمل لدى المؤسّسة الأمنية الإسرائيلية من نشاطاته، حيث أطلقت قوّة «اليمام» الإسرائيلية الخاصة النار عليه مِن مسافة صفر، برفقة صديقَيه الدخيل ومبسلط. في مراسم التشييع المهيبة، هتف الآلاف من مشيّعيه: «ارفع إيديك وعلّيي… الموت ولا المذلة»، قبل أن يقرّر المئات أن يواصلوا الطريق التي يرفضون بها المذلّة.
تامر الكيلاني… الطلقة المنفردة
لم تفلح كلّ محاولات ذوي الشهيد تامر الكيلاني في إقناعه بأن يترك الطريق الذي «اختاره بكلّ قناعة وإيمان». «الخبّاز وصانع الحلويات المبدع»، الذي قضى نحو ثُلث سنيّ حياته في سجون الاحتلال، كان مسكوناً بالمقاومة منذ صِباه. يَذكر أحد رفاقه أن استشهاد القيادي في كتائب الشهيد أبو علي مصطفى، يامن فرج، عام 2004، كان له الأثر الأبلغ في حياته؛ إذ عُرف بكنية «أبو يامن»، وهو لم يتجاوز الـ14 عاماً. بين الـ13 والـ20 من عمره، أصيب ثلاث مرّات في مواجهات مع العدو، آخرها كانت الأكثر حرجاً، حيث نجا فيها من الموت بأعجوبة. كما اعتُقل ابن الـ33 ربيعاً عدّة مرات في سجون الاحتلال، ليقضي وفق ما قاله والده سفيان، ما مجموعه تسعة أعوام من عُمره خلف القضبان. قبل نحو ثلاثة أعوام من استشهاده، وفي الأشهر الأخيرة من سجنه الأخير، ارتبط برفيقة عمره شيماء، وأنجب منها بعد زواج استمرّ عامَين طفله البكر يامن، ثمّ طفلته وتين. تقول أم يامن في حديثها إلى «الأخبار»: «في بداية المطاردة، جلس معي وخيّرني بين أن نستمرّ في زواجنا، أو أتركه وأبحث عن مستقبلي في حياة أكثر استقراراً (…) أنا أخت لشهيد وأسير محرَّر، كان ردّي وأنا أرى أن الشهادة هي مصيره، أنّني سأبقى معه إلى النهاية».
خلال أشهر المطاردة الساخنة، نشط في تأسيس مجموعات «عرين الأسود» مع الشهيدَين وديع الحوح ومحمد العزيزي، ونفّذ العديد من عمليات إطلاق النار، كما خطّط لتنفيذ عمليات تفجيرية أخرى في مدن العمق. أدرك المقاوم الشابّ مبكراً أنه على موعدٍ مع الشهادة. تقول زوجته: «كان محبّاً لأولاده ولزوجته، ومحبّاً للحياة أيضاً، لكنه كان يردّد لي دائماً أن الله أحنّ منا علينا، زرع فينا حبّ فلسطين وحبّ الله عزّ وجلّ، إلى الحدّ الذي أصبحنا فيه نحبّ ما يفعل رغم خوفنا عليه». «قنّاص لا تَخيب له طلقة»، يقول أحد رفاقه في «الجبهة الشعبية»، لافتاً إلى أن تامر احترف القنص، وكان يوصي رفاقه بأن يحفظوا رصاصهم، وأن لا يهدروه في العشوائية والاستعراض. خلال الاجتياحات، كان رفاقه المقاتلون يميّزون صوت طلَقاته من بين كثافة الأزيز: «طلَقات منفردة، ندرك أن كلّ واحدة منها عرفت طريقها بدقّة إلى أحد الجنود»، يضيف رفيقه.
تستذكر زوجته أيامه الأخيرة، حين احتفل بعيد ميلاده قبل استشهاده بأيّام معدودة: «زرتُه في البلدة القديمة، وكان تامر يغيب عنّا طويلاً، أمسك ابنه يامن الذي لم يتجاوز العامين، وصار يحدّثه، إيّاك يا بابا تتوهّم يوماً أني متت ببلاش، أنا سأرحل لأجل مستقبلك». تُواصل: «قبل استشهاده بدقائق كان يتحدّث معنا في مكالمة مصوَّرة، وطلب منّا أن نسامحه، ثمّ بعد خمس دقائق من انتهاء المكالمة، انفجرت به درّاجة نارية مفخّخة كانت مركونة في حي العطعوط في البلدة القديمة في نابلس». مضى تاركاً فينا وفي محبّيه وصاياه التي أضحت واقعاً: «الطريق إلى الأقصى… تُعبّده البندقية».
جميل العموري… قاتل عدوّك لا مفرّ
كان من المفاجئ لأمّ جميل العموري أن تدرك أن ولدها ذا الوجه الطفولي البريء، هو القائد الملهم الذي سيُنسب إليه فيما بعد، تجديد حالة الاشتباك، بعد نحو 15 عاماً من القضاء على البٌنى التحتية لفصائل المقاومة في الضفة الغربية المحتلّة بشكل شبه كلّي. ابن الـ25 ربيعاً، الذي لمع اسمه في مخيم جنين، اضطرّ لترك الدراسة مبكراً ليعيل أسرته المكوَّنة من سبعة أشخاص. تقول أم جميل، في حديثها إلى «الأخبار»: «اشترينا سيّارة أجرة ليعمل عليها، كان مكافحاً وعصامياً، يدّخر ما يستطيع، وفي أحد الأيام، دخل بيتنا وقد باع السيارة واشترى بثمنها بارودة (…) حاولت أن أقنعه بالزواج من دون جدوى». يلفت أحد عناصر «كتيبة جنين» التي سيرتبط تأسيسها باستشهاد العموري، إلى أن «الله مَنح جميل قدرة هائلة على التأثير في مَن حوله، وإمكانات قيادية لافتة. هو بخلاف مَن اشتبكوا بشكل فردي مع الاحتلال، بدأ بتأسيس خلايا المقاومة، ووجّه ببساطته وأسلوبه العذب، الشباب في مخيم جنين ونابلس إلى استثمار الإمكانات المحدودة، لصناعة حالة عسكرية مستدامة». أمّا عن فلسفة الاشتباك لديه، فهي: «قاتل عدوك كأنك في حلبة مصارعة رومانية، باغتْه وجهاً لوجه لتشلّ حسابات المنطق وردّة الفعل المدروسة لديه، ثمّ اختفِ»، بحسب ما يوضح رفيقه الشهيد محمد السعدي في مقابلة سابقة.
بين جنين ونابلس تنقّل العموري، تاركاً أثره في جيل جديد من الشبّان الذين سيغدون في نهاية الـ2022 التحدّي الأكبر للمنظومة الأمنية الإسرائيلية. تقول والدته: «إلى اليوم، رغم فخري الكبير به وأنا أراه في عيون المئات من رفاقه الذين يزورونني دائماً، أحاول بصعوبة إقناع نفسي بأن ذلك الشابّ الجميل البريء، هو مَن أسّس حالة المقاومة الكبيرة». لمع نجم العموري بعد تنفيذه عدّة عمليات إطلاق نار، كانت باكورتها في كانون الثاني 2020، حيث أطلق النار باتّجاه جنود الاحتلال بينما كانوا يهدمون للمرّة الثانية منزلَ الأسير أحمد القنبع في مدينة جنين، واستمرّ بعد ذلك في تنفيذ عمليات إطلاق نارٍ على الحواجز وخلال التصدّي لاقتحام المخيم. ثمّ تطلّب الأمر من الشبح المختفي أن يَظهر علناً، فكان ظهوره الأوّل في كلمة ألقاها في المخيّم خلال معركة «سيف القدس». قال العموري منظّراً لمنهجه المقاوم: «شبابنا الذين تحملون السلاح في الضفّة، لا تُطلِقوا رصاصكم في الهواء، إنّ هذا السلاح أمانة في أعناقكم، وواجب ديني وشرعي أن يتوجّه إلى الاحتلال».
قضى «مجدِّد الاشتباك» كما يلقّبه رفاقه في 10 حزيران 2021، بعملية اغتيال نفّذتها «وحدة اليمام» الخاصة في جيش الاحتلال، فيما لا يزال جيش العدو يحتجز جثمانه إلى اليوم. تقول أم جميل: «أرْعبهم جميل حيّاً، وأرادوا أن يُخمدوا ذكره شهيداً، لذلك احتجزوا جثمانه، لكنهم تفاجؤوا بالمئات من أشباهه».
عبود صبح… مَن اشترتْه الحياة وباعها
«إذا يوم بتصحي بيقولولك عبود مات شو بتعملي؟»، كانت تلك الكلمات، هي نصّ رسالة صوتية بعثها الشهيد عبد الرحمن صبح إلى خطيبته ميرا. في ذلك الصباح، لم تكن الفتاة العشرينية تعلم أن الفارق بين نبوءة حبيبها والرحيل هي شهر ونصف شهر فقط. حينها، تجاهلت ما حكاه إليها قدَرها والشعور، إذ لا أحد يَقبل على نفسه التفكير في لحظة فراق أعزّ مَن يحب، لكن في النهاية قضى بطل «عرين الأسود». في صباح الرحيل، «وحده الله هو مَن ربط على قلبي»، تقول ميرا لـ«الأخبار» وهي تصف الأشهر التي عايشتها منذ رحيله في 24/7/2022، مضيفةً: «شعور هائل بالفقد»، لكن لا شيء تَغيّر، فهي لا تزال تحتفظ بتفاصيل الأشهر السبعة التي عايشتها برفقته، فقد كان «رجلاً حقيقياً، وسنداً بكلّ ما تحمل الكلمة من معنى».
أجمعت على حبّ «خيال البلدة القديمة» القلوب، فهو الشاب الشهم الذي عايش حياة اليسر المادي والنجاح الاجتماعي بأعلى مراتبه. يقول شقيقه سائر: «كان لديه حصان يحبّه كثيراً اسمه الأدهم، الحياة كانت فاتحة يديها لعبود، لكنه لم يكن مشترياً للحياة، كان قد اشترى الآخرة، أنا رأيته شهيداً قبل أن يرحل بأربعة أشهر». نقطة التحوّل في حياته، وفق خطيبته «أم آدم» كما كان يحبّ أن يناديها، بدأت في شهر رمضان الماضي. حينها، كثرت الأيام التي يغيب فيها عن المنزل، وكثر حديثه عن الشهادة، وكان قد انخرط برفقة صديقه الشهيد محمد العزيزي في تأسيس مجموعات «عرين الأسود». وفي منتصف تموز الماضي، وعقب ليلة قضاها العروسان في انتقاء «عفش» البيت، تفاجأت خطيبته صباح اليوم التالي بأنه ذهب إلى المحكمة ليُتمّ إجراءات الانفصال عنها، إذ إنه أصبح مطلوباً ينتظر حتفه في أيّ لحظة. تقول: «بعث لي برسالة كتب فيها: سامحيني، وكتاب الله ما حبّيت بنت قد ما أحببتك، اعملت هيك حتى ما أظلمك، سامحيني بعد استشهادي وما تدعي علية». رفضت ميرا وعائلتها فصْل الخطوبة، وردّت بالقول: «معك ع الموت»، الذي لم يتأخّر كثيراً، عندما قضى عبود ورفيقه العزيزي في اشتباكات مع قوات الاحتلال في البلدة القديمة في نابلس.
فاروق سلامة… أرقُّ مَن حَمل السلاح
تحوّلت مراسم فرح العريس فاروق سلامة، القيادي في «كتيبة جنين»، إلى حزنٍ عمّ البلاد بأكملها. ففي مطلع تشرين الثاني الماضي، استغلّت وحدة «اليمام» الخاصة في الجيش الإسرائيلي، انشغاله ورفاقه بتجهيز ذبيحة وليمة الفرح، واقتحمت المسلخ حيث يتواجد، وباغتتْه بصليات من الرصاص. لم تكن ثمّة فرصة أفضل من تلك للنيل منه؛ فقد عايشته المؤسّسة الأمنية الإسرائيلية عن قرب، هو الذي تجاوزت سنوات اعتقاله المتفرّقة منذ كان طفلاً لم يتخطّى الـ15 عاماً، نحو ستّ سنوات. «عنيد وجريء ولا يخشى الموت»، تقول والدته أم فادي سلامة في حديثها إلى «الأخبار» وهي تستذكر المرّة الأولى لاعتقاله، مضيفةً: «كان شبلاً عمره 15 عاماً، حينما كان يشارك في رشق جنود الاحتلال بالحجارة على حاجز الجلمة القريب من مخيم جنين، أمسك به أحد الجنود، ولَطمه على خدّه، لم يَهرب، إنّما اقترب من غريمه الجندي، وبَصق في وجهه وحاول رد ضربته، ليُعتقل إثر فعلته تلك ويقضي عامين في السجن».
حين اغتيل، لم يكن قد مضى على خروجه من السجن سوى أحد عشر شهراً. خلال تلك المدّة، لم ينجح فاروق في تنظيم صفوف «كتيبة جنين» فحسب، إنّما ساهم على نحو فاعل في بناء خلايا المقاومة في طولكرم وفي نابلس، واجتهد في دعم وتنظيم «كتيبة نابلس» ومجموعات «عرين الأسود». تقول أم فادي: «كنتُ أَعلم أنه ناشط في المقاومة، لكنّني لم أعرف أنه قائد بهذا الحجم إلّا بعد استشهاده، كان يُشعرني دائماً أنه شابّ عادي لا يقوم بأكثر ممّا يفعله عامّة الشباب في المخيم». أمّا عن زواجه الذي قَبِل به الشهيد كي لا يُخالف ما اشتهته له والدته، فتقول: «حاولتُ بفهمي الطيب أن أشتريه وأن أشغله عن هذا الطريق، في النهاية أنا أمّ (…) لم أشبع منه، قضى حياته بين الأَسر والمطاردة، قَبِل الزواج لأجلي، وعاش الفرح وعشتُه معه».
مقتنيات الشهيد فاروق سلامة عاش «عريس فلسطين» في عائلة مناضلة. اعتُقل والده وإخوته مراراً، وجَمع السجن بينه وبين أبيه. آخر الأبناء المعتقَلين كان إيهاب، الذي ساهم في تأمين أسيرَي «نفق الحرية» أيهم كممجي ومناضل انفيعات، وأُفرج عنه قبل أسبوع من زفاف أخيه، ليُعاد اعتقاله يوم اغتيال فاروق مجدّداً. يقول أحد رفاقه في «كتيبة جنين»، إن فاروق، وعلى رغم ما كان يبديه من صلابة ورجولة، إلّا أنه «أرقُّ مَن حَمل السلاح»، لم يترك محتاجاً من دون مساعدة، ولم يمضِ يومٌ من دون أن يَطلب منّا أن نسامحه».
متين ضبايا… يا سعدَ من نال الشهادة مخلصاً
الشهيدان متين ضبايا (يمين) وعبد الله الحصري (يسار)
يُشعركَ النُطق باسمه، بقدْر البأس الذي تَحمله شخصيته. هو متين ضبايا، أحد قادة «كتيبة جنين»، ورفيق البدايات إلى جانب الشهداء جميل العموري وعبد الله الحصري وداوود الزبيدي. يَحفظ أهالي المخيم الدروب التي سلكها خلال عامَين ونصف عام من المطاردة. تشهد على ابن الـ25 ربيعاً الأزقّة والجدران، وعشرات المواجهات التي لمع فيها نجمه متقدّماً الصفوف، مقاتلاً على الطريقة التي تَوافق عليها مع رفيقه العموري: «كن قريباً من عدوك، تصبح أقوى». تقوم هذه الفلسفة العسكرية المبتدَعة على ضرورة تقليص المسافة بين المشبِك وخصمه، لأن اتّساع الفارق المكاني يعطي العدو امتياز استخدام وسائل القتال المتطوّرة، ما يسمح له بتوظيف أسلحة القنص والتتبّع وكثافة النار، أمّا حين تُباغته من مسافة صفر، فإنك ستتفوّق عليه بإمكانات شجاعتك الذاتية، في مقابل ضعفه وارتباكه، فيُضحي السلاح الذي في يديه بلا قيمة. «مَن صَدَق العزم وجدّ السبيل، يا سعدَ من نال الشهادة مخلصاً»؛ بهذه العبارة عَنوَن «مشتبِك المخيم» حسابه في «فايسبوك»، وقد سعى بعد خروجه من السجن إلى مقصده من دون تردّد. يقول شقيقه إسلام في حديثه إلى «الأخبار»: «في حياته، كان من أبسط الناس، عمل في تجارة الخضار، كسب رزقه من كدّه وتعبه، وحين استحالت الحياة العادية بعد المطاردة، عاش زاهداً فقيراً غير مكترث لزخارف الدنيا».
«مكافح وحنون، وقريب من إخوته الخمسة»، يتابع إسلام حديثه، لافتاً إلى أن متين «انخرط في طريق المقاومة من دون أن يفصح لعائلته عمّا يخطّط له، هو غامض للغاية، ثمّ أصبح في خطّ الدفاع الأول في كافة الاجتياحات». في 14 تشرين الأول 2022، تَقدّم صفوف المقاومين كعادته في التصدّي لقوات الاحتلال التي داهمت المخيم، وبعد ساعات من الاشتباك في واحد من أعنف الاجتياحات وأوسعها، باغتتْه طلقة قنّاص، وقضى إلى جانب الشهيد عبد الله أبو تين. أمام جثمانه، وقفت والدته، وقالت بعد أن باركت لابنها شهادته التي تمنّاها: «كان ابني يردّد دوماً، لا أريد أن أموت هكذا، كان يرى الموت العادي مخجلاً، كان يتمنّى أن يموت شهيداً، ولأنه تمنّى ذلك، أنا سعيدة لأجله وقد استشهد مع أصحابه، إخوته الذين تمنّى الموت إلى جانبهم».
محمد الدخيل… مَن أطاع حسّه وفاز
لم تكن ثمّة فرصة لنهاية أخرى. كان يجب أن تكتمل الصورة التي ظهر فيها محمد الدخيل، طفلاً لم يتجاوز الستّة أعوام، يقف مبتسماً إلى جانب أبرز مطارَدي البلدة القديمة في نابلس، باسل أبو سرية «القذافي»، وعبد الرحمن الشناوي، وأمين لبادة، وفضل نور، الذين قضوا جميعهم في عمليات اغتيال متفرّقة عام 2007. يقول والده رائد في حديثه إلى «الأخبار»: «عندما كان يغيب محمد وهو في سنّ السادسة من عمره، كنتُ أسأل أنا ووالدته عن مكان تواجد المقاومين والمطارَدين، وأجده وسطهم»، مضيفاً: «أسميتُه محمد، لأنه ولد عام 2000، العام ذاته الذي استشهد فيه عمّه محمد، خلال مواجهات وقعت قرب قبر يوسف في نابلس».
كان شغوفاً بالمقاومة، عاش على أحاديث البطولة والشهداء، وفي الرابعة عشرة من عمره، تعرّف إلى شخص يجيد صناعة القنابل، ونفّذ أوّل عملية على جبل جرزيم، اعتُقل على إثرها سبعة أشهر في سجون السلطة، قبل أن يُعاد اعتقاله مرّات عدّة في وقت لاحق في سجون الاحتلال. يُرجع المقاومون الفضل في إعادة بعْث المقاومة في المدينة، إلى دماء محمد الدخيل ورفاقه أدهم مبروكة وأشرف مبسلط وإبراهيم النابلسي. يقول أحد مقاومي «كتيبة نابلس» لـ«الأخبار»: «دفَع محمد دمه لإشعال المقاومة من جديد، بدأ وحيداً برفقة النابلسي، ثمّ التقى هو ورفاقه مبسلط ومبروكة (…) يمكن لي أن أزعم، أنه لو لم يَقتل الاحتلال الأقمار الثلاثة، أو اكتفى باعتقالهم، لمَا كنّا سمعنا عن كتيبة نابلس ولا عرين الأسود».
طوال أشهر من المطارَدة، حاول والده بدافع الأبوّة إقناعه بأن يترك الطريق الذي سلكه. يقول أبو محمد: «ابني بسيط وليست له تجربة في الحياة، كنتُ قد حذّرته مراراً وطلبتُ منه التريّث. في إحدى المرّات، سألتُه لأجل مَن ستموت، وعندما أجاب، إذا كنت معتقداً أنّني سأُقتل لأجل أحد فأنت مخطئ، أدركتُ أنه يطيع حسّه، وأن أيامه في هذه الحياة لن تكون طويلة». يتابع: «تفاجأت أن محمد قد اشترى بندقية “أم 16” من حُرّ ماله، وبعد سلسلة من اتّصالات التهديد من المخابرات الإسرائيلية، ترك منزلنا، وأقام في منزل جدّته في البلدة القديمة، وتعهدها بالخدمة والرعاية حتى استشهاده».
يحق القول إن عملية اغتيال الرفاق الثلاثة في وسط البلدة القديمة في نابلس ظهر 21/2/2022، أورثَت شعوراً جمعياً بالقهر. وحين حملت والدة الدخيل بندقيته أمام جثمانه وسط الآلاف من الجماهير، كانت تلك الإشارة التي التقطها المئات: «لا تتركوا طريقه».
محمد أيمن السعدي… لسنا العابرين
يقترن اسم الشهيد محمد أيمن السعدي برفيقه مؤسِّس «كتيبة جنين»، جميل العموري. غير أن «أبو الأيمن» كان القائد الأكثر طموحاً في الكتيبة، حَمل بعد صديقه عبء البدايات، هواجس الاجتثاث، هموم التنظيم والاستقطاب، واستطاع نقل الحالة من الفردية إلى التنظيم. يقول أحد رفاقه في الكتيبة، في حديثه إلى «الأخبار»، إن «شخصية ابن الـ26 عاماً كانت تَجمع ما بين إقدام الشباب في المواجهات، حيث يتقدّم الصفوف، وديناميكية القادة»، مضيفاً: «بعد استشهاد العموري، حرث أبو الأيمن الأرض، واستطاع تأمين خطوط الدعم والتمويل، وبدأ في بناء وتشكيل الكتيبة، مستأنساً بتجارب رفاقنا السابقين، محاذراً الوقوع في ذات الأخطاء، كان يطمح إلى نقل الكتيبة المحصورة في حدود المخيم، إلى ظاهرة تمتدّ إلى كل مناطق الضفة الغربية المحتلّة».
انخرط الرجل مبكراً في حياة المطاردة. اعتُقل في المرّة الأولى في سنّ الـ16 عاماً، وعقب خروجه من السجن، بدأت جولاته الشاقّة التي خاض خلالها عشرات الاشتباكات، وأصيب فيها مرات عدّة. تحْمل شخصية «أبو الأيمن» الذي ابتُلي بفقد والده بعد يوم واحد من خروجه من سجون الاحتلال إثر اعتقال دام عامَين، سرّاً أكْسبه قبولاً ومحبّة لدى الجميع. يقول ابن عمّه، شافع السعدي، في حديثه إلى «الأخبار»: «أكثر ما يميّزه، أنه مرح وصاحب دعابة، يحبّ الكبارُ والصغار مجالسته، ينتقل بِمَن يرافقهم من أجواء الكآبة إلى السعادة والتعالي على الهموم». علاوة على ذلك، عُرف عنه النفَس الوحدوي الذي تجاوز به التقسيمات الحزبية، وكثيراً ما ظهر في مقاطع مصوَّرة يهتف باسم محمد الضيف وإبراهيم النابلسي وقادة «عرين الأسود».
في أحد لقاءاته المصوَّرة التي كان يتحدّث فيها عن رفيقه جميل العموري، قال السعدي: «أمنية جميل ووصيّته أن لا نكون حالة عابرة مؤقّتة، أن نؤسّس بنية يستمرّ أثرها وفعلها من دون أن يستطيع الاحتلال اجتثاثها». قضى «أبو الأيمن» بعد أن خاض اشتباكاً طويلاً مع القوات الإسرائيلية الخاصة في مخيم جنين برفقة صديقه نعيم الزبيدي مطلع شهر كانون الأول الجاري. وعقب استشهاده، بدا واضحاً أن حدود الكتيبة التي نَذَر حياته في سبيل تطويرها وتوسعتها، امتدّت إلى خارج المخيم، في قباطية وعرابة وجبع، وأضحت هاجساً حقيقياً تقدّر قوات الاحتلال عديدها بـ150 مقاتلاً.
محمد حرز الله… «عزماتك ما انسينا»
في مساء الثالث والعشرين من تشرين الثاني الماضي، أغلق «أبو حمدي المجروح» عينيه إلى الأبد، بعد أربعة أشهر من إصابته خلال التصدّي لقوات الاحتلال، التي هاجمت منزل رفيقَيه عبود صبح ومحمد العزيزي في البلدة القديمة في نابلس، قضى تلك المدّة، وهو يسكن عيون ملايين الفلسطينيين، في الضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة ومخيمات الشتات. واكب الآلاف حالته الصحّية، في الشوارع والمقاهي وطابور الصباح في المدارس. حفظ الجميع النشيد الثوري الذي خلد اسمه: «يا أبو حمدي المجروح… عزماتك ما انسينا».
هو محمد أحمد حرز الله، الخليط العجائبي من الشهامة والرجولة والكتمان و«البلادة اللذيذة» أيضاً. تقول شقيقته، الزميلة الصحافية رشا حرز الله، في حديثها إلى «الأخبار»: «يَحضر أبو حمدي في التفاصيل الصغيرة. على رغم أنه هادئ جدّاً وكتوم للغاية، وكثير الغياب عن المنزل، فإن مشاكساته لا تُنسى. عندما كنتُ أَزور عائلتي في البلدة القديمة يوم السبت، أَدخل الحيّ وأَلمحه على باب صديقه الحلاق، أشير إليه، فيأتي ليحمل عني الشنطة الثقيلة، يمدّ يده مسلّماً عليَّ برسمية مبالغ بها، كالغرباء، يحافظ على مسافة في مشيته معي، لأن تقبيلي له أمام الحيّ يثير عصبيّته، يمشي ببلادته المعتادة وهو يتمتم: “بتأشريلي مصلحة حتى أحمل عنك الشنطة، مهو أنا عتال”».
أربعة أشهر قضاها ابن الـ30 ربيعاً في رحلة العلاج، أُجريت له فيها نحو اثنتَي عشرة عملية جراحية، وواكبت خلالها رشا أخباره مع مُتابعيها عبر «فايسبوك». أَحبّه أهل البلدة القديمة التي أحبّها هو في المقابل إلى الحدّ الذي كان يرفض الخروج منها حتى للعمل. تقول حرز الله: «في إحدى الفترات، كان يبحث أبو حمدي عن عمل، طلبتُ منه أن يبحث في أيّ مكان خارج البلدة القديمة، فردّ بالقول: لك أنا من الحارة ما بطلع مش من البلدة القديمة، وواصل بحثه إلى أن وجد عملاً بجانب البيت». تستذكر شقيقته طفولته المرحة المشاغبة: «ذات مرّة، أخذناه بيدنا إلى المدرسة، ثمّ كرّر عادته بالهرب متوجّهاً إلى حيث الاشتباكات مع الجيش بالحجارة، وما إن وصلنا إلى البيت حتى شاهدناه في البثّ التلفزيوني المباشر وهو يحمل إطار كوشوك يتجاوز بحجمه جسمه النحيل، ويلقيه على جيب إسرائيلي».
خلال مرضه، انتشرت عدّة مقاطع مصوَّرة لشقيقه نضال المصاب بـ«متلازمة داون»، وهو يرافق أبو حمدي في المستشفى الاستشاري في رام الله. تصف رشا علاقته بأخيه بالقول: «كان يحبّه كثيراً، لكن أبو حمدي لا يعبّر عن مشاعره بشكل تقليدي، كان يكثر المزاح معه، كانا مثل “ناقر ونقير”، لكن نضال كان يشعر بقدْر الحب الذي تكنّه مشاغبات أخيه». كشفت إصابة «صاحب الفزعة والعزمات»، ثمّ استشهاده، عن هامش من همومه المخبوءة خلْف ستار صمته وكتمانه. هو مقاوم مشتبك، جريء وبطل، يقول أحد رفاقه في «عرين الأسود»: «تفاجأنا أن عائلته لا تمتلك أيّ إحاطة حول حياته الجهادية، وتفاجأنا أكثر حينما فاجأتهم مشاهد اشتباكاته البطولية في البلدة القديمة».
رحل أبو حمدي، زفّه عشرات الآلاف، حملوه على الأكتاف وطافوا بموكبه مدن الضفة الغربية، من المستشفى الاستشاري في رام الله، ثم إلى بيرزيت، ثمّ إلى حاجز حوارة. وفي غزة، بكتْه الآلاف من العيون، التي كانت تأمل أن تنتهي رحلة العلاج بالشفاء.
محمد صوف… وجئتَ فكنتَ اعتذارَ الزمان إليّ
بالقدْر الذي تركتْه عمليته البطولية من بهجة، كانت المفاجأة التي عاشتها عائلة الشهيد محمد صوف. في مستوطنة «آرئيل»، في منتصف شهر تشرين الثاني الماضي، نفّذ ابن بلدة حارس انتقاماً طال التخطيطُ له. صاحب الـ18 ربيعاً صفّى حساباً شخصياً، وعامّاً. أمّا الأول، فَلِصالح والده الذي توفّي قبل ثلاث سنوات، جرّاء حقْنه بدم فاسد عقب إصابته بمرض التهاب الكبد الوبائي، وهو في داخل سجون الاحتلال التي زُجّ فيها مطلع الانتفاضة الثانية عام 2000، وأورثتْه أمراضاً عديدة آخرها السرطان. وأمّا الثاني، فلفلسطين عامّة، وأبناء قريته سلفيت خاصة، التي كانت جرافات الاحتلال قد اقتلعت قبل أيام من انتقامه، 2000 شجرة زيتون منها، وقَتلت ابنة حيّه الطفلة فلّة المسالمة.
«رياضي وهادئ ومتّزن، دمث الخلق وعزيز النفس، أنيق الطلّة وحَسن المظهر»؛ هكذا وصفه عمه مصطفى في حديثه إلى «الأخبار». والمُفاجئ في عمليته، هو أنه لم يُظهر طوال حياته أيّ اهتمام بالسياسة، إذ انشغل عقب وفاة والده برعاية عائلته، حيث ترك الدراسة بعد أن أتمّ الصف العاشر، وبدأ العمل في مستوطنة «آرئيل» المحاذية لقريته، للإنفاق على أخوَيه وأخواته الثلاث ووالدته. يواصل عمّه حديثه: «كنتُ أقتطع من راتبه الشهري ألفَي شيكل لأبدأ البناء، كنّا نخطّط لأن نزوّجه في سن العشرين، كي نُدخل الفرح على أسرته».
بدأ «المقاوم اليتيم» عمليّته التي استبقها بتدريب رياضي طيلة عام كامل، نحو الساعة التاسعة والنصف صباح الثلاثاء 15/11/2022، بطعن مستوطن على مدخل المستوطنة الصناعية، ثمّ انتقل إلى محطّة محروقات قريبة وطَعن فيها مستوطنَين آخرين، ثمّ استولى على مركبة وقادها ليدهس مستوطِناً رابعاً، قبل أن يطلق جنود الاحتلال ومستوطِنون كانوا في المكان النار عليه، ويسقط على الأرض مضرَّجاً بدمائه ويرتقي شهيداً. الانتقام الذي وثّقت كاميرات المراقبة تفاصيله كافة، وأسفر عن مقتل ثلاثة جنود وإصابة آخرين، بدا صاحبه «الأنيق» وكأنّه قد استطاع أن يحرّر أرضه ويقيم عليها دولة كاملة السيادة، لـ20 دقيقة فقط.
صدقْتَ يا وديع… لم يُكسَر ظَهر المدينة بَعدك
لم يكن سهلاً على أهالي نابلس أن يتقبّلوا فكرة رحيل وديع الحَوح. خلال الأشهر الأخيرة، أضحى ابن الـ31 ربيعاً أسطورة في الوعي الجمعي لسكّان البلدة القديمة تحديداً. في ليلة استشهاده 25/10/2022، حَمله الآلاف من مُحبّيه على الأكتاف، نظروا في عيونه المسبّلة وقد هدأت أخيراً، وهتفوا بحرقة: «من المبكر كثيراً أن تموت يا وديع». ذهبوا به إلى المستشفى العربي في نابلس، آملين أن يكون نبضه قد عاد. وأمام إصرار الجماهير المتعطّشة لبقاء «الملهِم»، اضطرّ الأطبّاء لإدخاله مجدّداً إلى غرفة العناية المكثّفة، متظاهرين بأنهم يحاولون إنعاشه. خلْف الباب، هتفت حناجر الآلاف: «يا رب». لكن أبو صبيح كان قد استشهد، ليتوزّع نبضه في أفئدة الآلاف من مُحبّيه.
«انتهى الكلام، بدأ الفعل باسم الله»؛ بهذه العبارة كان يفتتح «بطل حارة الياسمينة» كلّ موجة فعلٍ مقاوم. البَنّاء وفَنيّ الديكور، تَرك المجال الذي أبدع فيه، بعد أن أتمّ بناء بيت أشبه بقصر أموي نجا مصادفة من تعرية العصور وتوالُد الحضارات. سيغدو البيت الذي كان أُعدّ لمشروع الزواج، والذي يتوسّط منطقة حوش العطعوط في البلدة المسمّاة «دمشق الصغرى» لشديد ما تشبه العاصمة السورية العريقة، «بيت العمر» بعد اتّخاذه من قِبَل «عرين الأسود» مقرّاً رسمياً لإدارة العمليات، وكتابة البيانات، وتصنيع العبوات، وإحاطته بعشرات الأفخاخ من العبوات والكمائن، في انتظار لحظة لا شكّ قادمة.
في «الياسمينة» حيث ولد رفيقاه عبود صبح ومحمد العزيزي، ولد الحَوح وتربى، وحيداً من الذكور بين شقيقاته الثلاث. ذاق مرارة الفقد واليتم مبكراً، فرحلت والدته وهو ابن 9 سنوات إثر نوبة صحّية مفاجئة. أكمل دراسته حتى الصفّ العاشر، ثمّ ترك الدراسة ليتحمّل مشقة العمل. في مقتبل العمر، تجرّع مرارة الاعتقال (2011 و 2018)، ثمّ المطاردة والتهديد الدائم بالتصفية. إلى جانب الاستعداد الهائل للتضحية بالمال والنفس، حملت شخصية «أبو صبيح» قدْراً عالياً من الإلهام والتأثير، فهو «محبّ، وصادق في مشاعره، ومخلص حتى الموت لأصدقائه»، يقول والده. أمّا في المقاومة، فقد التقط الرجل مع رفيقه العزيزي، مستوى التعقيد المجتمعي والحزبي الذي يَحكم مدينة نابلس، فكان تشكيل حالة «عرين الأسود» الجامعة لكلّ ألوان الطيف الفصائلي، عبوراً من مأزق الحرج الذي تولّده تلك التعقيدات. كذلك، أجاد «البطل»، على نحو شديد الفعالية صياغة خطاب إعلامي جديد، فهو من دبّج النسق الإعلامي العاطفي الأخّاذ لبيانات «العرين».
رحل وديع «مخلصاً لله»، ووفيّاً لعهده مع رفيقه تامر الكيلاني بأن «نستشهد معاً» بفارق يومَين اثنين فقط. رحل ولا يزال صدى كلماته يتردّد في أزقّة البلدة: «المهمّ أن نترك أثراً… ثمّ لِنُقتل بَعدها… لن يُكسر ظَهر المدينة بَعدي».
عبد الله أبو التين… مَن ألبس الغرابة ثوب الممكن
كان صادماً للأطبّاء في «مستشفى الشهيد خليل سليما» الحكومي في مدينة جنين، أن يكتشفوا بعد أن أماطوا اللثام عن وجه مقاومٍ غارق بدمائه، أنه هو نفسه زميلهم الدكتور عبد الله الأحمد أبو التين. في قسم الاستقبال، خاض الطاقم الطبّي ملحمة استمرّت ثلاث ساعات لإنقاذ حياته، انتهت برحيله الصادم لكلّ مَن عرفه. في يوم الجمعة 14/10/2022، وفي خلال اجتياح جيش الاحتلال لمخيم جنين، همّ بالخروج على غير عادته في ذلك اليوم، اعترضه طفله زين سائلاً: «على وين يا بابا»، فأجابه بما يشبه المزاح: «رايح أطخ على الجيش حبيبي». غادر بيته مسّلماً مبتسماً، قبل أن يعود إليه محمولاً على الأكتاف.
الطبيب المشتبِك كان قد عمل لسنوات طويلة في المهنة التي أخلص في حُبّها، إذ أضحت طريقه إلى قلوب مئات الفقراء الذين كان يعالجهم بالمجّان خارج ساعات دوامه الرسمي. عقب ذلك، شغل منصب مدير وحدة التراخيص في وزارة الصحة. يصفه زميله الدكتور نجي نزال في حديث صحافي بالقول: «كان إنساناً بكلّ ما تحمل الكملة من معنى، متواضعاً، لا تغيب الابتسامة عن وجهه»، مضيفاً: «كان كتوماً جدّاً، وما قُدرته على إخفاء كوْنه مقاوماً ميدانياً ومؤسِّساً لجناح عسكري في جنين إلّا خير دليل على هذا، فرغم علاقتنا المتينة لم نلحظ أبداً أن لديه هذا التوجّه».
في عالمَين موازيَين، عاش «المسؤول الكبير في وزارة الصحة». يذهب إلى عمله بسيّارته الفارهة وبذلته الأنيقة، وفي المساء، يعود ليجالس أمّه وعائلته وطفلَيه، ثمّ يخرج متخفّياً لينخرط في عمله المقاوم. «يجيد الطبيب المقاوم استخدام السلاح على نحو مبدع»، يقول أبو محمد، وهو أحد رفاقه في «كتائب شهداء الأقصى»، مضيفاً في حديثه إلى «الأخبار»: «عاش حكيم الكتائب حياة مترفة، فهو يمتلك معرض سيّارات في جنين، ومقتدر مادياً، وقد بذل وقته وأمواله في بناء خلايا الكتائب، وأنفق عليها لشراء الأسلحة (…) يمتلك حسّاً أمنياً عالياً، خلال سنوات من عمله في بناء وتأسيس الكتائب، لم يتجاوز عدد مَن يعرفون بدوره أصابع اليد العشرة».
قضى الطبيب المشتبِك، كاشفاً برحيله تفاصيل غابت طوال سنيّ حياته الـ43، وجامِعاً بين «البالطو» الطبّي الأبيض وسمّاعة علاج المرضى وبين الزيّ العسكري والبندقية، في تمازُج استثنائي لرجل ألبسَ الغرابة ثوب الممكن، والاستثناء طابع العاديّة.
Palestinian detainee Nasser Abu Hamid was martyred on Tuesday due to lung cancer. The tumor’s symptoms started to appear in August 2021. Yet the Zionist enemy authorities delayed the medical tests Nasser required as part of the medical negligence policy pursued by the Zionist prisons’ administration.
These factors led to the deterioration of the detainee’s medical condition, especially after he was transferred to the Ramle Prison clinic that lacks the minimum healthcare equipment. Ironically, it is one of the clinics specialized in the treatment of detainees who suffer from critical and serious diseases.
The head of the Gaza Unit in Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade “Abu al-Majd” affirmed in an interview with “Al-Ahed News” that “The stance on the martyrdom of detainee leader Nasser Abu Hamid is the same towards all detainees; however, what specializes martyr Abu Hamid is that he was a prominent leader of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in the West Bank.”
“The enemy, by withholding Abu Hamid’s body, seeks to start a confrontation with the resistance factions. However, we are aware of its plans, and we’ll retaliate for this assassination starting from the West Bank and reaching Gaza, in coordination between the Palestinian resistance factions that as part of the Joint Operations Chamber,” he added.
“Abu al-Majd” further stressed that “the enemy will pay dearly had it initiated any aggression or military folly.” The scale of response to the enemy’s activities towards the Palestinian people isn’t controlled by geography or boundaries. It will rather cover all the Palestinian territories, he underlined.
Meanwhile, the head of the Detainees Movement Mounir Mansour told Al-Ahed News that “The martyrdom of Abu Hamid ignited massive protests along the occupied Palestinian lands. And in particular, after the ‘Israeli’ occupation authorities declared their refusal to hand over the martyr’s body to his family.”
“These protests have put the occupation entity on alert amid concerns about what things would reach in the next few hours. The martyrdom of the detainee Abu Hamid put all Palestinians on the verge of a volcano that is about to erupt at any moment, especially after the escalation of confrontations with the enemy in different Palestinian regions,” Mansour added.
By the same token, Mansour noted that protests and confrontations aren’t organized by any side. They evolved from the vigor of our people and their refusal to the suppressive “Israeli” measures in prisons, pledging that the Detainees Movement will continue to fight for the rights of prisoners and detainees.
In the same context, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club Qaddoura Fares, in comments to our website, considered that “the martyrdom of detainee Abu Hamid is a war crime against all Palestinians and a live example on the practices of the enemy’s apparatuses and authorities from the top of the pyramid till its base.”
He further emphasized that “the cause of Palestinian detainees is not confined to any rights organization or faction. It’s the cause of all people of Palestine who must assemble their efforts to face the Zionist enemy in all fields to achieve freedom and protect their dignity and sanctities.”
Qaddoura concluded his statement by praising protests and confrontations taking place between Palestinians and the enemy’s army to condemn Nasser Abu Hamid’s assassination. Likewise, he didn’t forget to call to continue these steps that drain the abilities of the occupation and put us on the track toward the complete liberation.
It’s noteworthy that martyr detainee Nasser Abu Hamid was detained on 4/12/2002, life sentenced 7 times, and for 50 years. This detention wasn’t his first, as his prison journey had started in 1987, and he spent about 33 years behind ‘Israeli’ bars until his martyrdom on 20/12/2022.
Additionally, Abu Hamid is a brother of a martyr and four other detainees in the ‘Israeli’ occupation prisons who are all sentenced to life. They spent long years in prisons. Besides, the ‘Israeli’ occupation had destroyed the family’s house as part of its collective punishment policy.
Palestinian Martyr Ammar Hamdi Mefleh, 22, from Huwara village southern Nablus was killed in cold blood from a zero distance by an ‘Israeli’ occupation soldier last week.
The vicious crime almost went unnoticed as the world media in general, and the western media in particular, ignored it.
At the same time, those media outlets focus heavily and exaggerate the news coming from Iran or from any corner of the countries that form the Axis of Resistance.
They would simply pick a single incident that could happen anywhere in the world and magnify it to make it look as a horrible crime.
They would order their media empire where thousands of media outlets and electronic armies and social media influencers broadcast their black content to poison the atmosphere and distort the image of a country or a person.
I can mention scores of examples in which this media spread lies and mere black propaganda to tarnish the truth and mislead the global public opinion about different major and minor issues.
In recent examples, we can never forget the American invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq later.
In 2001, the Yankees invaded, killed and destroyed the country for more than two decades under the pretext of avenging the 9/11 attacks.
They did the same with Iraq in 2003, the pretext they used this time was that Iraq is producing weapons of mass destruction though they did not provide any evidence to support their claims.
Although they did not do this with the Islamic Republic of Iran so far, nonetheless they put Iran under the same accusations and they spread lies about Iranian efforts to produce a nuclear weapon. They go as far as claiming that Iran almost achieved the goal of being able to build a nuclear weapon and it would be able to finish it within months.
They did everything they can do to sabotage Iran’s progress and development on so many different fields. They put the country under heavy siege, and never allowed it to export any kind of technology or medical supplies. The US has frozen Iranian assets in the western banks, never allowed Tehran to sell its oil, assassinated Iranian experts and scholars, among many other human rights violations…
The most vivid and permanent example remains to be Palestine. The biggest lie ever dramatized by the temporary existence of the ‘Israeli’ occupation entity. They circulated a lie which said: “A land without people to a people without land” to justify stealing Palestine from its people.
Back to martyr Mefleh, it is worthwhile to put all the western media, governments and their supporters under scrutiny and investigation. We should always question their integrity and fairness in covering the news.
Why the 22-year-old Palestinian young man did not appear in their news? Why did not he receive a fraction of attention from their media outlets. It is simply because he is Palestinian and the killer is an ‘Israeli,’ which renders him ineligible to appear in their news?
Herein, a very essential question posed itself about their belief in and commitment to humanity. I would definitely say, they are hypocrites because humanity can never be divided, and as such, the Palestinian blood should equally matter as any other.
This double-standard policy, the absence of fairness and equality, and spreading lies to serve an orchestrated pro-‘Israel’ and pro-West media, are very shameful and should be condemned.
Not only that, those media outlets should also be sued and held accountable for all this. They serve as a defense for the killing machine called ‘Israel.’
It is high time for people to be watchful in which they could hold their governors and governments accountable for their crimes against our region and our people. Otherwise the truth will remain uncovered, yet their complicity in our blood would not only stain their hands, but their foreheads as well!
The Palestinian Lions’ Den resistance group reacted to the martyrdom of five Palestinians, including two brothers, by ‘Israeli’ fire during separate incidents in the occupied West Bank, stating that Palestinian resistance fighters have tightened the noose around the occupying ‘Israeli’ regime and that the fighters will by no means allow the blood of martyrs to go in vain.
“The blood of martyrs will not go in vain. The ‘Israeli’ enemy and his allies will be surprised by our unexpected actions. History and the Zionist regime will remember all these days very well,” the group pledged in a statement.
The statement added, “Lions’ Den pays homage to the five Palestinians who were martyred at the orders of criminal [former ‘Israeli’ prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and despicable [extreme-right leader Itamar] Ben-Gvir.”
“It is worth asking the occupying regime who has surrounded it. Freedom-loving resistance fighters have their fingers on the trigger and besieged the Zionist regime. ‘Israel’ and its allies will be caught by surprise in the aftermath of our unexpected measures,” the group highlighted.
The two brothers martyred on Tuesday were identified by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa as Jawad and Dhafr Rimawi, aged 22 and 21.
They were killed by ‘Israeli’ fire during confrontations with troops near the village of Kafr Ein, west of Ramallah.
Separately, a Palestinian man identified by the Palestinian Health Ministry as Mufid Khalil was killed by ‘Israeli’ soldiers during a military raid near al-Khalil.
Khalil was shot in the head, and at least eight others were injured, according to the ministry.
The health ministry said a fourth Palestinian was martyred after being shot in the chest by ‘Israeli’ soldiers on Tuesday afternoon during confrontations north of Ramallah. Wafa named the victim as Raed Ghazi al-Naasan.
Also on Tuesday, the ‘Israeli’ occupation forces shot and killed a Palestinian over an alleged car ramming attack near the Kochav Yaakov illegal settlement outside occupied East al-Quds.
The Zionist forces have recently been conducting overnight raids and killings in the northern occupied West Bank, mainly in the cities of Jenin and Nablus, where new groups of Palestinian resistance fighters have been formed.
Since the start of 2022, ‘Israeli’ troops have killed more than 200 Palestinians, including more than 50 children, in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds as well as the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to the United Nations, the number of Palestinians martyred at the hands of ‘Israeli’ occupation forces in the occupied West Bank this year is the highest in 16 years.
Local and international rights groups have condemned the Tel Aviv regime’s excessive use of force and “shoot-to-kill policy” against Palestinians.
The lack of discipline within the Israeli occupation forces reflected in actions carried out in occupied Al-Quds and the West Bank is causing discord within the political and military establishments.
Soldiers in the Israeli occupation forces
Ever since the latest elections in the Israeli occupation showed right-wing and far-right parties winning the required majority for the formation of a cabinet, the Israeli occupation did not stop talking about the repercussions of the election results and its reflection on the performance of the security and military establishments.
One of the most significant establishments in the limelight is the Israeli occupation forces, or the “Israeli army”, which is seen as one of the last establishments bringing illegal Israeli settlers together.
Israeli media has been criticizing the undisciplined behavior of IOF soldiers, which was prevalent in the occupied West Bank and occupied Al-Quds through various actions carried out by the occupation forces.
The actions in question have sparked a heated debate within “Israel” that reached the top of the political and military-security establishments in light of the public stances and statement, seen by many as “incitement” against senior IOF officials, as well as calls for soldiers to disobey direct orders from their superiors.
The aforementioned debate saw Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli occupation forces Aviv Kochavi stressing that he would not allow for the IOF to be used to push certain political agendas.
IOF warns government
Several Israeli media reports said Kochavi held talks with the commander of the 84th “Givati” Brigade, Colonel Eliad Maor, and the commander of the Givati infantry brigade’s Tzabar battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Aviran Alfasi, during which he declared his support for the two and criticized the Knesset Members that attacked the IOF because the aforementioned officers sentenced a soldier to 10 days in military prison for taunting left-wing activists in Al-Khalil.
This comes after far-right Otzma Yehudit chief Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the IOF for punishing the soldier, prompting Kochavi to draw the line at political interference in military decisions, saying that was “unacceptable”.
“Slandering commanders on political grounds is a slippery slope that we as a society must not slide down. We will not allow any politician, neither from the right nor from the left, to interfere in command decisions and use the army to promote a political agenda,” Kochavi said, noting that any political interference in the IOF drastically impacts its ability to carry out tasks, as well as its so-called “legitimacy”.
Kochavi had issued a letter to Israeli soldiers condemning their behavior in Al-Khalil and stressing that the IOF was an establishment that did not allow its members to express their political affiliations or carry out actions that stem from their political beliefs.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid touched on far-right MKs’ criticism of the IOF and noted that the new government’s ministers were already inciting the Israeli soldiers against their officers and superiors before it even started performing its duties. “The incitement against the [Israeli army’s] officers is dangerous and destructive. It is unbelievable that ministers and MKs are asking soldiers to disobey their superiors,” Lapid said.
Former Chief of the General Staff, the founder of the Dahya Doctrine, and Knesset member Gadi Eizenkot warned that the incoming government coalition could lead to the disintegration of the Israeli occupation forces.
Meanwhile, incoming Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement commenting on the issue, saying: “The Israeli army is the army of all Israelis, and I call on everyone, whether the right or the left, to keep [the IOF] out of any political conversation.”
Netanyahu had held back from commenting on the conduct of Israeli soldiers at a time when his son, Yair Netanyahu, attacked Kochavi several times over the past few days.
IOF warns of dark future
The increase in resistance operations in the occupied West Bank pushed the Israeli occupation forces to send a message to the Israeli government, basically telling “Tel Aviv” that the situation in the West Bank was getting worse.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth political affairs analyst Yossi Yehoshua said IOF officials were highly pessimistic regarding whether the Palestinians were heading in the coming months, especially in light of the latest security and political development.
The status quo has promoted the Israeli occupation forces to send a strategic alert to the political institutions that the situation in the occupied West Bank, occupied Al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip could deteriorate at any given moment, Yehoshua added before noting that the faces of the officers that delivered the message looked just like the intelligence they provided, i.e., they looked pessimistic.
The message came after data showed that 134 Palestinians have been martyred so far this year, a stark increase from last year’s 76 martyrs, according to an Israel Hayom correspondent.
The newspaper reported that the Israeli Central Command (Pakmaz) described the latest developments in Al-Khalil, which saw a soldier facing off with several left-wing protestors, as highly dangerous, admitting that they need to find a way to nip such situations in the bud.
The correspondent, Lilach Shoval, added that the Israeli security and military establishments perceived the future with cynicism due to violence being prevalent in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians are increasingly using firearms as the Palestinian Authority is losing its grip on the region.
Shoval also said that the aforementioned establishments were also worried about “local groups of violent subverters” in the West Bank that could try and follow in the footsteps of the Lions’ Den, noting that the heightened concern within “Israel” also goes back to the stark increase in nationality-based crimes committed by Israelis against Palestinians and the Israeli occupation forces.
The uptick in violence and the Palestinian Authorities’ inability to establish control over its territories sparked pessimism within the security and military establishments, Shoval claimed, adding that the latter has long been noticing the lack of governance from the PA.
Israeli Haaretz newspaper political affairs analyst Amos Harel said that the security coordination between the PA and the Israeli occupation was still working well for the occupation, especially in places where the PA had interests undermining Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Harel also spoke about the IOF’s preparedness for war after “Tel Aviv” called dozens of reserve battalions to service this year in an unplanned manner and against the proclaimed goals of the Chief of Staff to lessen the load on the reserve soldiers.
IOF to become an army for half the Israelis
The state of anxiety about the bleak future in the Palestinian and internal arenas, which was expressed by the IOF, was also echoed in Israeli media, whose commentators pointed out that recent events, such as the incident in Al-Khalil, indicate a division among Israeli settlers.
Militias within the IOF: Israeli Walla! website political correspondent Barak Ravid, warned that the campaign in support of the soldier who attacked a left-wing activist in Al-Khalil was a guaranteed recipe for disaster for the Israeli occupation forces, as it could dismantle it from within and turn it into a group of militias.
Kochavi’s weakness:Israeli Haaretz newspaper columnist Rogel Alpher criticized Kochavi harshly. He said that the message Kochavi sent Israeli soldiers, in which he condemned the incident in Al-Khalil, proves that he completely failed on a professional and moral level.
Alpher highlighted how the IOF was acting in the West Bank contrary to the values and morals cited in Kochavi’s letter. He said that the entire chain of command under Kochavi had a different spirit than the military leader wants, the spirit of Ben-Gvir. According to the writer, Kochavi’s letter proves that he has no control over his soldiers’ conduct, as they openly go against his directions.
Ben-Gvir’s mood: The incident that took place in Al-Khalil once again caused a heated debate about the reality and repercussions of the politicization of the Israeli occupation forces and the polarization within them.
The discussion then arose about far-right MK Itamar Bin-Gvir and his prevalence within the IOF, as well as the challenges the military will face under a pure right-wing government where Ben-Gvir, a convict and Zionist extremist, the minister of security, and where Benjamin Netanyahu is the most “left-leaning” official.
In a similar vein, a recent opinion poll conducted by Israel Democracy Institute showed that the mood of the general Israeli public was becoming increasingly violent and extremist toward Palestinians.
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MEMBERS OF THE LIONS’ DEN HOLD THEIR WEAPONS NEXT TO A FLAG FLYING THE LIONS’ DEN LOGO DURING A MEMORIAL SERVICE OF MOHAMMED AL-AZIZI AND ABDUL RAHMAN SOBH WHO WERE KILLED BY ISRAELI FORCES, IN THE WEST BANK CITY OF NABLUS ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2022. (PHOTO: SHADI JARAR’AH/ APA IMAGES)
The Lions’ Den was relatively unknown outside of Nablus until a few months ago but today they have gained hero-like status across Palestine — for leading a revival of armed resistance against Israeli colonialism. This is their story.
The streets of the Old City of Nablus are quieter than usual.
The typically bustling streets, filled with the sights, smells, and sounds of one of the oldest markets in Palestine, are almost unrecognizable. Most shops and businesses are shuttered; those who are open are noticeably somber, a far cry from the usual animated calls of street vendors advertising their wares to crowds of shoppers passing by.
“This is not common to Nablus,” Abu Ayyad, 72, told Mondoweiss as he sat inside his shop, packaging halkoum sweets — a Nabulsi version of Turkish Delight which he has been making and selling from his shop in the al-Yasmina neighborhood for over 60 years.
Bullet holes riddle the old stone buildings and the rusting iron doors that line the streets. Some of the destruction dates back to the first and second Intifadas. But the newer cars parked along the cobblestone streets, covered in bullet holes and broken glass, remind passersby of the freshness of these wounds.
“What’s happening now in Nablus reminds me of the level of destruction that happened in 2002 when the Israeli forces invaded Nablus,” Sameh Abdo, 52, a resident of the Old City told Mondoweiss as he passed through the narrow alleyways of the al-Yasmina quarter.
“The destruction of the city, the homes, the buildings. We haven’t seen this type of devastation in years,” he said.
Down the road, one man sits outside his shop, piled with old radios, speakers, and other odds and ends. He smokes his cigarette in silence, soaking in the words of the song blasting on one of the newer speakers in his collection. It’s an anthem dedicated to lions.
There are little to no foreigners present, a new reality created by design, not by accident. The presence of anyone or anything unknown to the locals here is considered a potential threat, and understandably so.
Over the past few months the residents of the Old City have grown increasingly wary and suspicious of any foreign presence in their streets. Too many times, undercover Israeli forces entered the city in disguise, after the blood of the young men who have made these streets their home.
Such was the case on Monday, October 25, just after midnight. The streets were quiet, and in the cover of night, Israeli undercover special forces entered the boundaries of the city. Their targets were a group of young men, armed and ready in their hideout in the al-Yasmina quarter of the Old City, but seemingly unaware of the danger that lurked around the corner.
They call themselves the “Lions’ Den”, Areen al-Usud in Arabic. A novel armed resistance group, relatively unknown outside of Nablus until a few months ago, the young fighters have gained hero-like status across Palestine.
In the streets of Nablus’ Old City, however, the lions are more than just mythical heroes. They are the brothers, sons, and friends of the people here. They are people’s neighbors — neighbors who watched them grow up, once kids buying snacks from the shop down the road, and causing a ruckus with the other neighborhood kids.
Now those cubs are lions, and they have taken it upon themselves to do something many believed to be impossible after decades under the boot of the Israeli occupation and its partners in the Palestinian Authority: reviving popular armed resistance.
The origin story
The emergence of the Lions’ Den into the Palestinian public consciousness can be traced back to the summer, when a stoic, narrow-faced and handsome young man cut through a crowd of thousands of people in the middle of the city of Nablus — his rifle in his right hand, the casket of his friend on his left.
As he marched through the crowd in the funeral procession for his fallen comrades, passersby saluted the young man. In a viral video, one man struggles to grab his hand, still wrapped tightly around his rifle, and kisses it. The young man’s face did not flinch.
شهيد يودع شهيد … الشهيد إبراهيم النابلسي في وداع رفيق دربه الشهيد ابو صالح قبل عدة ايام. pic.twitter.com/wQjA56HbxS
— Hisham Abu Shaqrah | هشام أبو شقرة (@HShaqrah) August 9, 2022
The young man was Ibrahim Nabulsi, just 18 years old at the time. Known locally as the “Lion of Nablus,” with a mysterious reputation as a fierce fighter who had managed to evade several arrest and assassination attempts by the Israelis, the young Nabulsi skyrocketed into popular fame and admiration after his showing at the funeral.
At the time, Nabulsi and his comrades were part of a group who called themselves the Nablus Brigades, Katibet Nablus in Arabic, operating out of the Old City. They had been active for months, conducting shooting operations across the northern West Bank.
Modeled after the Jenin Brigades to the north, the group was formed in early 2022, and was comprised primarily of young men formerly aligned with the Saraya Al-Quds (Al Quds Brigades), the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement.
But many of the group’s members and leaders hailed from different political factions. Nabulsi had formerly aligned himself with the Fatah movement; others had origins with Hamas, and even the leftist Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Like the Jenin Brigades, the Nablus Brigades were cross-factional, and while they had money coming in from various sources, they did not officially align themselves with one political party. They were fighting in the name of Palestine, and no one else.
The Israeli government’s first major operation targeting the Nablus Brigades happened in February, when Israeli special forces raided Nablus and ambushed a vehicle, showering it with bullets and extra-judicially assassinating three Palestinian resistance fighters which Israel claimed were wanted.
The three were Ashraf Mubaslat, Adham Mabrouka and Mohammad Dakhil. There was a fourth passenger — some reports said he was injured and arrested by the army, others said he managed to escape. Many speculated him to be Ibrahim al-Nabulsi.
At the time, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (the military wing of Fatah) claimed the three as its members. But they had recently broken off from Fatah, carrying out a number of shooting operations across Nablus in another name. Israeli defense officials were describing them as a “renegade” cell.
Around the same time, Israel’s military apparatus launched Operation Break the Wave, an open-ended massive operation across the occupied West Bank to “thwart terrorism activities,” and growing armed resistance in Jenin and Nablus.
In April, Israeli army chief of staff, Aviv Kochavi, warned: “Our mission is simple—we need to stop terrorism and to restore safety and a sense of security. We will do whatever it takes, whatever is necessary, for however long and wherever needed, until both safety and the sense of security are restored.”
Yet despite the increase of deadly Israeli military raids in Nablus and Jenin, the number of operations and armed resistance activities, whether through organized groups or independently, continued to rise. Rather than break the wave, Operation Break the Wave seemed only to be conjuring a tsunami.
At the end of July, months after Operation Break the Wave began, the Israeli army launched a massive raid on the al-Yasmina neighborhood in the Old City of Nablus. It was the first time since 2002 that the army was conducting a raid in the area, targeting who they said were Palestinians suspected of carrying out a shooting operation targeting Israeli soldiers and settlers as they raided Joseph’s Tomb a month before.
During the raid, resistance fighters fired heavily at Israeli forces, as they barricaded themselves inside the home of Mohammad al-Azizi, who is widely known to be the founder of the Lions’ Den. Israeli forces surrounded the home, bombarding it with explosives and gunfire, overpowering the fighters inside.
After a three-hour shootout, Mohammad al-Azizi, 25, and Aboud Suboh, 28, were killed in the raid, as they reportedly provided cover for their fellow comrades to escape. Israeli media reported that one of the primary targets of the raid, Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, had evaded capture once again.
While both al-Azizi and Suboh were claimed as members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, locally they were known to be some of the earliest members of the Nablus Brigades. It was at their funeral on July 24 that Nabulsi, donning a flak jacket and his rifle, paid tribute to his fallen comrades, further propelling his status as an icon in the city.
Across the West Bank, Palestinians circulated videos and photos of Nabulsi at the funeral. Suddenly, the Lion of Nablus and the group he fought with were becoming household names outside the bounds of their city.
It was only two weeks later that Nabulsi would meet the same fate as his fellow fighters. During a raid on the Old City on August 9, Nabulsi was killed while fighting the Israeli army. Two other members of the brigades who were fighting alongside Nabulsi were killed during the raid: Islam Sbuh, 32, and Hussein Jamal Taha, 16.
In a voice message shared widely on Palestinian social media, purportedly recorded by Nabulsi and sent to his comrades shortly before he was killed, a calm and collected Nabulsi can be heard saying:
“I love you so much. If I am martyred, guys, I love my mother. Take care of the homeland after I’m gone, and my final will to you, on your honor: don’t let go of the rifle — on your honor. I’m surrounded, and I am going towards my martyrdom.”
In his death, the Lion of Nablus was solidified as an icon, and the group he fought with became firmly implanted in the public consciousness. Following the killing of al-Nabulsi, the Den of Lions, now void of its founder and first fighters, began appealing to the public for protection.
LIONS’ DEN OFFICIAL TELEGRAM ACCOUNT PHOTO (PHOTO: TELEGRAM ACCOUNT OF AREEN AL-USUD)
Two weeks after the killing of Nabulsi, a new Telegram channel was created alongside a photo of Mohammad al-Azizi and Aboud Suboh holding up their rifles. Overlaid on top of the photograph was a new logo, reminiscent of the symbols used to represent the Fatah and Islamic Jihad armed wings. But this new symbol, showing the Dome of the Rock sitting underneath two crossed rifles, alongside an icon of an armed fighter in the middle of a map of Palestine, did not belong to any of the established political factions.
Plastered across a black banner was the name of the group in Arabic, underneath it a short line of text that read: “The official representative channel of the Lions’ Den.”
Gaining popularity
On September 2, in a memorial for al-Azizi and Suboh, the Lions’ Den made their first official appearance as a group in the Old City, drawing crowds of thousands. A militant from the group, clad in black military gear from head to toe, face covered in a black balaclava and sporting a black bucket hat, stood on the stage facing the throngs of people. Flanked by fighters with upraised weapons on either side, he read out the charter of the Lions’ Den.
“We salute those who have walked in the footsteps of al-Yasser and Yassin and Abu Ali Mustafa and Shikaki,” he said, referring, respectively, to the Fatah founder and late President, Yasser Arafat, the Hamas founder, Shaikh Ahmad Yassin, and the PFLP former Secretary General, Abu Ali Mustafa. “We have come here today, 40 days after the death of the Den’s lions, and in light of the burning revolution of our people in Jerusalem, in Gaza, in Jeningrad [Arafat’s Second Intifada-era stylization of Jenin after Stalingrad]…we have come to tell you that the spark began in the Old City [of Nablus] when our leader Abu Ammar formed the first cells of the revolution in the al-Yasmina neighborhood [during the Second Intifada].”
LIONS’ DEN LEADERS ADDRESS A MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR MOHAMMED AL-AZIZI AND ABOUD SUBOH IN THE WEST BANK CITY OF NABLUS ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2022. (PHOTO: SHADI JARAR’AH/APA IMAGES)
The charter went on to preach a message of independent resistance, free of the shackles of the old political factions. They vowed to continue to conduct operations across the West Bank targeting Israeli army positions and settlers. They addressed the PA security forces, who have a thorny history with armed groups in the Old City of Nablus, emphasizing that the group’s focus was confronting the Israeli occupation, not the PA.
In the following weeks, the group announced that it had conducted dozens of operations targeting Israeli army and settler positions across the West Bank, primarily in the Nablus area. On October 11, the den claimed responsibility for a shooting operation that left one Israeli soldier dead near the illegal Shave Shomron settlement in the Nablus district.
As the group stepped up their operations, the popularity of the Lions’ Den continued to soar. Over the course of two months, the group amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on platforms like Telegram, with their official channel boasting over 230,000 followers — more than any other Palestinian political faction. On TikTok, montages of the group’s fallen fighters cut together to the tune of the Lions’ Den anthem flooded fan accounts dedicated to the group.
While social media can often feel disconnected from the real world, the popularity of the Lions’ Den online was even more tangible in the streets than it is online.
In the alleyways of the al-Yasmina neighborhood, just one day after the October 25 raid that killed three members of the group, including senior fighter Wadee al-Hawah, young Palestinians from outside the city crowd the alleyways.
Some young folks eagerly ask shopkeepers where the home of the “hero martyr” Wadee al-Hawah is. A man points up to a crumbling facade of an old stone second-floor home. The youth ask if they can go up to the house, but they’re stopped by a group of stoic young men blocking the entrance at the door. So they pull out their phones instead, joining crowds of passersby taking photos of the home where the Lions’ Den leader was killed.
A few steps down the road, a woman salutes to a memorial for the slain fighter Tamer al-Kilani, who was assassinated on October 23 in the same spot where photos of him now lay, adorned with Palestinian flags. Another young mother tells her son to stand in front of the memorial to take a photo.
“Salute him, dear,” she says, as the young boy raises his right hand to his forehead.
Back down the road, outside the old radio repair shop, Jamal Hamou, 57, turns up the speakers blasting the Lions’ Den anthem. When asked what he thought of the group, he beat his fist to his chest, over his heart, a wide grin spreading across his face.
JAMAL HAMOU (PHOTO: AKRAM AL-WAARA/MONDOWEISS)
“The Lions’ Den, to the people of the Old City and outside of it, means everything to us,” he said. “These are our sons, our brothers, our boys. They have done something that so many before them tried and failed to do. They represent trustworthiness and honor, and they have made us proud, may God protect them, and bless those who have passed.”
Around the corner from Hamou’s shop, the famous Al-Aqsa Sweets, known across Palestine for its Nablus knafeh, is riddled with bullet holes. Usually packed to the brim with hungry customers, the shop is relatively empty. No one is in the mood for sweets, one of the owners tells Mondoweiss.
“I have worked here since I was five years old. I have lived here my whole life, I was here during the first and second Intifadas,” Basil al-Shantir, whose family owns the shop, told Mondoweiss. “What is happening right now is different. During the intifadas there was much more destruction on a larger scale, but what is happening now is not insignificant,” he said.
“The Lions’ Den is barely a few months old, but they have taken over the public consciousness in a way that is unprecedented.”
POSTER AT MEMORIAL FOR WADEE AL-HAWAH, MASHAAL BAGHDADI, HAMDI QAIM, ALI ANTAR, AND HAMDI SHARAF (PHOTO: AKRAM AL-WAARA/MONDOWEISS)
Israel threatened
A few kilometers outside of the Old City, the day after the deadly raid on the Old City, thousands of Palestinians gathered at the memorial for the “moons of Nablus,” the five Palestinians who were killed.
It was a typical scene for a martyr’s memorial, held for three days after someone is killed by the occupation. Posters of Wadee al-Hawah, Mashaal Baghdadi, Hamdi Qaim, Ali Antar, and Hamdi Sharaf lined the entrance and walls of the local community center where the wake was being held. Family members of the deceased lined up at the door, greeting mourners who had come to pay their respects.
But this memorial was different in one small, but distinguishable regard. It was largely devoid of any symbols marking the political affiliation of the martyrs, a typical feature at the funerals of Palestinian martyrs.
Inside, Mazen Dunbuk, 40, a spokesperson for the Fatah movement in Nablus’ Old City, sat down for lunch, customarily served in honor of the martyrs.
“Young people are thirsty for resistance, for armed resistance, and for a change of the status quo of the past 20 years. And this is what Israel is scared of.”
Mazen Dunbuk
“The funeral of the five martyrs was one of the biggest seen in Palestine in years,” he said. “This is a sign to the [Israeli] occupation, and to the Palestinian leaders, that the public support for these young men is huge,” Dunbuk told Mondoweiss.
Aware of the reputation his political party holds, as the majority part of the increasingly unpopular PA government, Dunbuk said matter-of-factly: “We know that people are tired of the different political factions, they want a united resistance. Nothing is more evident of that than the popularity of the Lions’ Den,” he said.
“Young people are thirsty for resistance, for armed resistance, and for a change of the status quo of the past 20 years,” he said. “And this is what Israel is scared of.”
The threat that the group poses to Israel was evident in the military apparatus’ focus on destroying the group at all costs. In the wake of the October 11 operation that killed one Israeli soldier, the army enforced a more than two-week closure of the entire Nablus district, affecting the lives of more than 400,000 Palestinians.
In the span of just a few days in the last week of October, the army conducted several raids and operations targeting members of the Lions’ Den and their areas of operation. In addition to the targeted assassinations of Tamer al-Kilani and Wadee al-Hawah, several members of the group or those affiliated with them were arrested, including the brother of Ibrahim al-Nabulsi.
The return of Israel’s use of targeted assassinations against resistance members evoked more memories of the first and second intifada, indicating to locals that the army was ramping up its operations to quash the group.
But while the army has snuffed out the lives of several of the Lions’ Den’s leaders and senior members, what it has so far failed to do is squash the influence that the group has wielded over Palestinians, primarily young people, across the West Bank who have been inspired by their messages of independent resistance, unaffiliated with the political parties of yesterday.
And for Israel, that is where the group’s most dangerous aspect lies.
In terms of actual casualties, the Lions’ Den itself has not claimed a significant number of deaths or injuries of Israeli settlers or soldiers. Most of its operations targeting Israeli positions across the West Bank have resulted in some injuries, though not always.
Yet the group’s influence has inspired more “lone-wolf” operations across the West Bank that have proved destructive for Israel. In the nine days since the Israeli military assault on Nablus that killed al-Hawah, at least six operations were carried out across the West Bank by individual Palestinians not officially affiliated with the Lions’ Den or other armed groups.
In the operations, which targeted both settlers and Israeli military positions, several soldiers were wounded, and even one settler was killed. And most notably, Udai al-Tamimi, a young man from Shu’fat refugee camp, killed an Israeli soldier stationed at the Shu’fat military checkpoint in a drive-by lone wolf shooting, and the massive manhunt that ensued lasted for ten days and put the entire camp under siege, before Tamimi himself came out of hiding and attacked and injured Israeli guards stationed outside the illegal settlement of Ma’ale Adumim — notably far away from where the manhunt’s efforts were focused — before he was shot and killed by the guards.
Separate from the armed operations seemingly inspired by the group, the Lions’ Den has forgone the traditional model of hosting dressed-up press conferences or issuing curated public statements that are filtered through standard media outlets and rendered into soundbites, carving out instead a mode of communication with the broader Palestinian community, using public platforms like Telegram to speak directly to Palestinians, always signing off “your brothers in the Lions’ Den.”
On October 16, almost a week after Israel closed off the city of Nablus, the Lions’ Den appealed to Palestinians for a night of disruption, inviting people from across the West Bank to shout from their rooftops and make noise in the streets in response to reports in the Israeli media about army promises to “finish off” the armed group “from the root.”
“To all citizens, to our fathers, mothers, siblings, and children,” the statement read. “Come out tonight on the rooftops at exactly 12:30 a.m. Let us hear your cheers of Allahu Akbar [God is Great]. We want the last sound we hear to be your voices,” the group wrote.
And Palestinians responded to the call: from Nablus, and extending to Ramallah, Tulkarem, Hebron, and Jerusalem.
On the same day, the Lions’ Den released a statement, reaffirming that the group did not belong to any political party, and had “turned its back on all disputes and rivalries.
“The fact that they are independent is drawing more youth in, and Israel knows that the danger of the group lies in their political independence,” Basel al-Shantir told Mondoweiss outside his knafeh shop in the Old City. “Because when you do not belong to an official party, you cannot be pressured or blackmailed into bad deals and watered-down agreements.”
Back at the memorial for the five martyrs killed on the 25th, a young man sits solemnly in the corner of a quiet room. He identifies himself as a member of the Lions’ Den.
“Wadee and the others have done something, they’ve created something that the Palestinian political factions have been unsuccessful in doing for decades,” the young man, who requested anonymity, told Mondoweiss.
“They brought people together, to create one united resistance, without political factions,” the young man continued. “Entire nations have tried to do this and failed.”
When asked why he and other young men were inspired to take up arms, he said: “we are under occupation, and this occupation is killing us everyday. Wadee and the others woke up every day to news of more martyrs, more settler attacks, and more of our homeland being stolen.”
“When we fight we are demanding our dignity, something our own government has failed to do for 30 years.”
The role of the PA
On the night of October 26, shortly after the first day of the memorial for the five martyrs in Nablus came to a close, news broke that four members of the Lions’ Den had turned themselves over the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF).
One of the men, Mahmoud al-Bana, a top commander in the Lions’ Den who was injured in the raid the night before, wrote a statement on Facebook, addressing the Palestinian people about his decision to hand himself into the PA.
“My comrades were martyred by my side, and I was wounded with them several times, and my martyrdom was declared more than once,” al-Bana wrote. “By God’s power and kindness, I am alive today.”
“Today, after consulting with my brothers in the struggle, myself and my comrades-in-arms, it was agreed with our brothers in the [Palestinian] security services to surrender ourselves in order to protect us from this brutal occupier,” he said.
As controversy erupted across Palestinian social media over the fighters’ decision to turn themselves in, the Lions’ Den released an official statement, saying that “whoever surrenders himself, this is their decision and choice.”
In another statement the next day, the group said that those who believed the Lions’ Den was disbanding were “living under an illusion.”
But the impact of the fighters’ decisions to hand themselves over to the PA could not be denied, as the streets and the internet buzzed with talk of the future of the Lions’ Den. Would the group survive the next inevitable Israeli attack? Or would there even be a Lions’ Den to fight by that point?
One certainty remained clear: the Israeli government were not the only ones that wanted the Lions’ Den off the streets, and out of the Palestinian public consciousness for good.
In late September, as the Lions’ Den continued to gain popularity in the West Bank and steadily upped their operations, PA security forces raided the city of Nablus in order to arrest two Lions’ Den fighters who were wanted by Israel, Musaab Shtayyeh, 30, and Ameed Tbeileh, 21.
One Palestinian, 55-year-old Firas Yaish, was killed, while several others were injured. The raid sparked fierce confrontations and widespread backlash, as Palestinians criticized the PA’s ongoing security coordination with Israel, and what they viewed as their own government’s attempts to quash Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation.
“For us it’s the battleground, and for them the diplomacy,” a young 20-year-old fighter told Mondoweiss on the evening of September 20, as PA forces clashed with local youth in the city the day after the arrest of Shtayyeh and Tbeileh.
After the September 19 raid and the subsequent public backlash, the PA stayed relatively silent on the subject of the Lions’ Den, opting instead for a policy of quiet neutralization, working behind the scenes to offer fighters of the Lions’ Den amnesty in the ranks of the PASF in exchange for putting down their weapons, and agreeing to serve time in PA prisons.
Similar to the deals struck with former fighters with the armed wing of Fatah after the Second Intifada, the PA was offering these young men safety — safety from the inevitable: imprisonment, or more likely, death, at the hands of the Israelis. And as the Israeli military upped its attacks on the group through targeted assassinations and large-scale raids, the PA’s proposition became even more appealing.
On October 31, a week after al-Bana and three others handed themselves over to the PA, another senior fighter in the Lions’ Den, Mohammad Tabanja, reportedly followed suit. A source within the PA told Mondoweiss that at least a dozen members of the Lions’ Den had already turned themselves over to the PASF. Mondoweiss could not independently confirm that number.
Three days later, in the heart of the Old City, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh held a press conference, surrounded by dozens of journalists and foreign diplomats — a sight the Old City had not witnessed in months.
Shtayyeh’s statements largely addressed Israel’s ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territory, criticizing the “collective punishment” policies imposed on the Palestinian people. While Shtayyeh made no mention of the Lions’ Den or of armed resistance, a second message was clear from his appearance in the Old City: the PA had restored “order” and control to the city, at least on the surface.
PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER MOHAMMED SHTAYYEH VISITS NABLUS ON NOVEMBER 3, 2022. (PHOTO: SHADI HATEM/APA IMAGES)
As the future of the Lions’ Den hangs in the balance, so does the trajectory of the current Palestinian mobilization. The current moment is defined largely by such groups and the influence they wield, inspiring others to take up arms against the occupation. So it is without a doubt that the future of the group will affect the outcome of the current moment, as well as whether the wave of armed resistance we are witnessing will continue to swell, or slowly subside and fade into the distance.
On November 1, the same day the most right-wing, extremist government in Israeli history was elected into power, the Lions’ Den released their most recent statement.
“The most important thing is to you, and everyone who believes that our fire has subsided: a volcano is brewing.
For those who call for peace, look at their elections and you will see their choices.
As for the resistance fighters from the Lions’ Den, or from the blessed factions, or our lone wolves — strike them everywhere. What kind of life is this, that we live in peace with those who abuse our blood and the blood of our children, men, and sisters?
Your brothers, the Lions’ Den.”
Mariam Barghouti is the Senior Palestine Correspondent for Mondoweiss.
Yumna Patel is the Palestine News Director for Mondoweiss.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine organized a rally in Gaza in support of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.
A member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front in the Gaza Strip, Saleh Nasser, affirmed that the Palestinian people chose the path of resistance in all its forms against the Israeli occupation.
“Our people are subjected to collective punishments, abuse, cold-blooded executions, arrests and demolition of homes in all cities of the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip,” Nasser said.
“This is an open war that escalates daily in the worst forms of persecution and fascist racism, as well as in the implementation of policies aimed at the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population, in flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law.”
Meanwhile, organized by the PFLP, a symbolic funeral was held in Gaza on Monday to mourn Tamer Kilani, one of the leaders of the Nablus-based resistance group Lions’ Den.
Thousands participated in the funeral, which was organized by the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the PFLP.
Another influential member of the Political Bureau of the PFLP in Gaza, Mahmoud al-Ras, said that organizing the funeral in Gaza “is a confirmation that we are one people and that our destiny is one.”
Al-Ras stressed that “the path of resistance is a path towards unity against the occupation.”
Tamer Kilani was killed on Sunday when an explosive device exploded in the Old City of Nablus.
The following day, five other Palestinians, including top Lions’ Den commander Wadee Al Hawah, were also killed in Nablus, and a sixth Palestinian in Ramallah.
(All Photos: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)
IOF launches several raids and incursions across the occupied West Bank, mainly in the Nablus governorate.
IOF arrests a number of Palestinians as confrontations intensify
The IOF stormed, on Wednesday morning, several neighborhoods of the city of Nablus and the village of Iraq Burin in the south, arresting several Palestinians.
Local sources reported that an Israeli military force stormed several neighborhoods of the city, raided a house in the Khalet Al-Amoud area, and arrested Iyad Al-Nabulsi, the brother of martyr Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi.
The IOF also arrested Karim Yasser Qadous in the village of Iraq Burin in the Southern governorate of Nablus.
بعد مداهمة الاختلال منزلها واعتقال نجلها إياد.. أم الشهيد إبراهيم النابلسي تتساءل: "وين السلطة إلى بتدعي أنها معيشتنا بأمان؟ pic.twitter.com/6H1OH2eH0C
Moreover, confrontations erupted between the Palestinian youth who reside on Amman Street between the Balata and Askar refugee camps in Nablus, and the occupation forces that raided the occupied West Bank.
During the raids, the IOF arrested two young men, Ayham and Wadih Inaya from the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya, as well as three other youth from the towns of Tekoa and Beit Fajjar, south of Beit Lahm. Furthermore, several Palestinians from Al-Khalil and Dura, south of the city, were also arrested.
In Nablus, the Directorate of Education announced a one-hour delay for educational institutions due to the occupation’s incursion into several neighborhoods across the city.
In parallel, the IOF also arrested five Palestinians from Jabaa, Jenin.
As for the situation in Occupied Al-Quds, the IOF arrested 4 Palestinians from the towns of Jabal Mukaber, Silwan, and Bedouin.
Resistance operations in the West Bank escalated dramatically during the last 24 hours, as 61 acts of resistance were reported in response to and coinciding with the martyrdom of six Palestinians in Nablus and Ramallah yesterday morning.
The IOF continue to harass the Palestinians in Nablus for the 16th consecutive day, forcing them into an open-air prison-like environment as they close all the roads leading in and out of the city.
This would not be the first time that the IOF limited movement in an out of Nablus through checkpoints and roadblocks. However, this time the IOF is attempting to completely isolate the region.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 
