One of the leaders of the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah movement was assassinated by Israeli occupation forces in Jenin.
Israeli occupation forces assassinated Mustafa al-Kastouni, one of the leaders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the National Liberation Movement (Fatah) during the storming of the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank.
An employee of the Palestinian Ministry of Health was reportedly wounded in the attack.
The health ministry said that al-Kastouni, 32, was killed on Thursday morning, after being injured in the head, chest, and abdomen by Israeli occupation soldiers.
He was declared dead soon after arriving at the government hospital in the city.
The ministry also announced that a female health employee was wounded by two bullets in the abdomen and chest during the raid on Jenin.
The nature of her condition remains unclear.
Eyewitnesses told Aljazeera Net that occupation forces blew up the place where al-Kastouni was found, and arrested two other young men claiming that they were wanted by the occupation.
The Israeli military withdrew from Jenin soon after the deadly operation.
Mustafa al-Kastouni, one of the leaders of the armed wing of the #Palestinian #Fatah movement was assassinated by #Israeli #occupation forces in #Jenin. pic.twitter.com/SsSR5MFYtW
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) August 17, 2023
What Happened
Large forces of the Israeli military stormed Jenin from several areas, amid violent clashes between the Palestinian Resistance fighters and the occupation forces.
The Israeli army pushed large reinforcements to secure protection for the Israeli special units after they surrounded a bakery and a house.
Al-Kastouni’s mother said that the Israeli occupation soldiers stormed their house and shot dead her son Mustafa after arresting her second son and another young man outside the house.
For its part, the Israeli army said that “a border Police soldier was wounded during the military operation in Jenin.”
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Reactions
The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad resistance movement, announced that the occupation forces were targeted with “intensive strikes” during the storming of Jenin, stressing their “high and permanent readiness” to confront any Israel aggression against this city and its camp.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said in a statement that Jenin “will remain the capital of the Resistance and the citadel of the mujahideen.”
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement that the “blood of the martyrs that irrigates the land of Jenin will always be fuel for the escalation of the intifada and revolution.”
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine mourned al-Kastouni as well.
It said in a statement that the Israeli aggression on Jenin is part of the scheme that targets the resistance in all Palestinian territories and called for confronting the Israeli incursions with “more resistance.”
#شاهد فيديو سابق للشهيد مصطفى الكستوني أحد مقاتلي كتائب شهداء الأقصى، الذي استشهد صباح اليوم في عملية اغتيال نفذها جيش الاحتلال في مدينة #جنين.
لمتابعة آخر الأخبار عبر قناة نيو برس على تيلجرام https://t.co/6BCL5wfFPS pic.twitter.com/u4glHxPdkp
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) August 17, 2023
Context
On July 3, the Israeli occupation army launched a military operation that lasted for nearly two days, targeting the city of Jenin and its refugee camp.
In the invasion, the Israeli armed used attack helicopters, drones, and ground forces to pursue Palestinian Resistance fighters.
For its part, the Palestinian Resistance targeted Israeli vehicles with explosive devices.
The Israeli military invasion, considered the largest in more than 20 years, killed 12 Palestinians and injured more than 140 others.
Several Israeli soldiers were also wounded.
The raid also reportedly destroyed nearly 80 percent of the civilian infrastructure of the Jenin refugee camp.
Since the beginning of this year, the number of Palestinians killed by Israel has risen to more than 200.
They include 38 children, a young girl, and 11 women, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The West Bank is witnessing escalating tension due to the incursion of the occupying forces and attacks by armed Jewish settlers in Palestinian cities and towns.
(With additional information from Aljazeera Net, WAFA)
