At least 190 Palestinians have been shot dead in five weeks in the occupied West Bank, human rights defenders believe that Israeli soldiers and police now have “a free hand”.
At least 190 Palestinians have been shot and killed in the occupied West Bank over the past five weeks. Human rights defenders believe that Israeli soldiers and police now have “a free hand”.
In the West Bank, occupied by Israel for 56 years and where settlements are expanding a little more each year, the pace of incursions by the Israeli army has increased, strikes on the bustling refugee camps have multiplied and deaths have increased. accumulate.
Already more than 190 Palestinians have been killed there since October 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Almost as many as during the first nine months of the year: 208 according to the ministry.
For Iyad Haddad, of the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, “the cases of Palestinians killed by bullets that we examined prove that the Israeli army and the settlers now have a free hand to shoot Palestinians in the West Bank, from a unique way.”
A week ago, at the scene of an attack on an Israeli police officer in Jerusalem, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir was clear: “zero tolerance: when in doubt, no doubt.” The assailant had been shot dead.
On October 7, the Islamist Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip, launched a bloody attack in Israel which left 1,200 dead, mostly civilians, according to the Israeli authorities. The Israeli army responded with strikes on the Gaza Strip that left more than 11,000 people dead, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hamas health ministry.
In the heart of cities
More than 190 Palestinians have been shot and killed in the occupied West Bank over the past five weeks, according to NGOs, medical sources and witnesses. Most were killed during Israeli incursions into the heart of Palestinian towns or during the clashes that followed these incursions.
The Israeli army assures that its operations respond to a “significant increase in terrorist attacks” in the occupied West Bank with “more than 550 attempted attacks since the start of the war”.
In Tulkarem, seven Palestinians were killed during a raid overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. The IDF justifies this raid by the discovery of explosive devices placed on roads.
On Monday and Tuesday, two more Palestinians were killed in Hebron. In Jenin, the latest IDF operation left 14 dead last week.
Israeli settlers also carry out attacks against Palestinians by donning the uniform of security forces according to NGO reports.
The Israeli military has also arrested more than 1,400 people in the occupied West Bank since October 7, with East Jerusalem excluded from that count, and said most of those detained were suspected of having links to Hamas.
Journalists across the West Bank confirm that they have not seen tear gas grenades fired as often since the start of the war.
Additional sources • AP, AFP
