Palestinian Operation in West Bank – Several Israeli Soldiers Killed, Wounded

February 22, 2024 Blog, News
An Israeli soldier was killed in a shooting operation near Jerusalem. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

An Israeli soldier was killed and eight others were injured on Thursday in a shooting operation near the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, east of occupied Jerusalem.

The Israeli police said that the Palestinian fighters who carried out the operation were killed. 

The Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Bet), identified the Palestinians as the two brothers Muhammad and Kazem Zawahra – from the village of Al-Taamra – and Ahmed Al-Wahsh from Zaatara, near Bethlehem.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Walid Al-Omari reported, citing Israeli sources, that Palestinian gunmen opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint near the village of Al-Za’im, east of occupied Jerusalem.

Israeli occupation forces sent large reinforcements to the area and closed the roads there.

According to Israeli Channel 13, one of the attackers deliberately crashed into a car to cause an accident, resulting in a traffic jam. Then, three fighters got out and opened fire on the vehicles with two M-16 rifles and a pistol, killing and injuring soldiers. 

The Ma’ale Adumim municipality called on Israeli settlers to remain in their homes,

The shooting at the military checkpoint near Ma’ale Adumim came days after a similar operation that took place in the Kiryat Malachi settlement, east of Ashdod, which resulted in the killing of two Israelis.

‘Heroic Operation’

The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas described the operation as “heroic”, considering it as a natural response to Israeli massacres and ongoing mass crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

“The occupation’s incursion into Jerusalem and its planning to prevent worshippers from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan will not bring it security,” Hamas said in a statement. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 29,410 Palestinians have been killed, and 69,465 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. 

More Weapons

Far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Israeli citizens will continue to receive weapons from the government. 

Ben-Gvir called for restricting Palestinians’ freedom of movement and placing yet more barriers.

“The right to life for Jewish residents in the West Bank is more important than the freedom of movement for residents of the Palestinian Authority,” Ben-Gvir said, according to the Times of Israel. 

Another far-right politician, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded the approval of a plan for thousands of new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim and nearby illegal settlements in response to the Palestinian operation.

“The serious attack on Ma’ale Adumim must have a decisive security response but also an answer from the settlements,” he wrote on X.

“I demand the prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) approve the convening of the higher planning council and immediately approve plans for thousands of housing units in Ma’ale Adumim and the entire region,” he continued.

In parallel with the war in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army escalated its incursions into cities, towns and refugee camps in the West Bank, killing hundreds and arresting over 7,000 civilians. 

(The Palestine Chronicle)

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