Palestinian resistance fighters clashed – at dawn on Friday – in several locations with the Israeli occupation forces, which carried out massive incursions into the occupied West Bank as part of an escalation that resulted in the martyrdom of 6 Palestinians in the past hours, while sources reported renewed clashes between the Palestinian security services and resistance fighters in the Jenin camp.
Palestinian media said that resistance fighters targeted the Taiba checkpoint, west of Tulkarm, early on Friday.
The shooting comes as part of frequent operations by the Palestinian resistance that have recently targeted soldiers and settlers in response to Israeli attacks.
These operations included shooting, running over, and stabbing, and led to the killing and wounding of Israelis.
Sources also reported the outbreak of armed clashes between resistance fighters and occupation forces in the Balata camp in Nablus and the town of Silat al-Harithiya in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.
Extensive incursions
Meanwhile, Israeli forces stormed again before dawn today Nablus and Balata camp, located east of the city.
Sources also told Tel Aviv Tribune that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the village of Rujib, east of Nablus, raided the house of the pursued Balata Battalion Commander, Ubadah Rawajba, and arrested his father, mother, and brother in order to pressure him to surrender himself.
The invading forces caused great damage to the homes of the Rawajba family before arresting his parents and brother and withdrawing from the village.
Also in the northern West Bank, sources told Tel Aviv Tribune that the Israeli army detained a number of Palestinians during its storming of the town of Imatin, east of Qalqilya.
In the nearby Jenin Governorate, Israeli forces stormed the towns of Al-Yamoun, Al-Sila Al-Harithiya, and Ya’bad.
🌐 Watch the effects of destruction left by the bulldozer of the occupation forces during the storming of Balata camp, east of Nablus. pic.twitter.com/1L0VNxBjfX
– Palestinian Information Center (@PalinfoAr) December 20, 2024
The raids tonight also included the city of Al-Bireh and the town of Birzeit near Ramallah in the central West Bank, and in the town of Husan, west of Bethlehem, young men blocked the streets and clashed with Israeli forces penetrating the town.
The Israeli army also stormed, before dawn today, the city of Halhul, north of Hebron, and the town of Deir Samet, which is located near the city of Dura in the south.
In another development, Palestinian sources said that the occupation forces continue to close the entrances to the town of Hizma, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, and continue to abuse the Palestinians.
Palestinian sources said on Friday that settlers burned parts of the “Barr al-Walidin” mosque in the town of Marada in the Salfit district in the West Bank, and wrote anti-Palestinian slogans.
📹 Settlers burn parts of the Bar al-Walidin Mosque and write anti-Palestinian slogans in the town of Marada District #Salfit pic.twitter.com/jaFUL4TXH4
– Sahat – Urgent 🇵🇸 (@Sa7atPl) December 20, 2024
Funeral of martyrs
Meanwhile, crowds of the six martyrs who were assassinated by the Israeli occupation army yesterday mourned in the Tulkarm and Balata camps in the northern West Bank.
Palestinians opened fire in the air during the funeral of the martyrs, and chants calling for revenge were heard.
Yesterday, the Israeli occupation army withdrew from the Tulkarm camp after an hours-long storming, which included armed clashes and explosions resulting from resistance fighters detonating explosive devices in military vehicles.
This military operation was preceded by an air strike that targeted a vehicle in the Balouneh neighborhood in the camp, which led to the martyrdom of 4 Palestinians.
The Israeli army said – in a joint statement with the General Security Service (Shin Bet) – that the Air Force targeted an armed cell inside the camp involved in shooting operations against army forces.
In Balata camp, east of Nablus, a Palestinian male and female were martyred and two others were injured by bullets from occupation soldiers during their storming of the camp.
Israeli special forces had infiltrated the Al-Jamasin neighborhood, inside the Balata refugee camp, and when they were discovered, they sent reinforcements from the Beit Furik and Awarta checkpoints towards the camp, where clashes broke out with Palestinian resistance fighters.
Renewed clashes in Jenin camp
On the other hand, sources reported to Tel Aviv Tribune that clashes renewed yesterday evening, Thursday, between the Palestinian security services and resistance fighters in the Jenin camp in the northern occupied West Bank, while the Israeli army received instructions to strengthen security coordination with the Palestinian Authority.
The sources said that the sound of an explosion rang out inside the camp, which has been besieged by the Palestinian Authority for the 15th day in a row, amid clashes with resistance fighters who refuse to disarm the resistance.
For their part, Palestinian media platforms reported the explosion of an explosive device, and activists published a video clip showing what they said was a security forces mechanism being withdrawn after it was damaged.
The same sources spoke of a power outage in neighborhoods in Jenin camp after the security services targeted the electricity transformer again.
The past few days witnessed repeated clashes between resistance fighters and security services in the camp, which led to the death of 3 Palestinians, including a field commander in the “Jenin Brigade,” and others were injured, including members of the security services.
The Palestinian Authority believes that controlling the situation will prevent a repeat of the Gaza scenario in Jenin.
The Palestinian factions, led by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, denounced the security campaign in Jenin and considered it to achieve Israel’s goals.
Strengthening security coordination
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted an Israeli army official as saying that the army had received instructions from the mini-ministerial council to strengthen security coordination with the Palestinian Authority, adding that there were consultations with Palestinian officials to facilitate activities in the Jenin camp.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said earlier that the occupation army is considering supplying the Palestinian Authority’s security services with defensive military equipment to help them against armed organizations and enhance intelligence cooperation.
The newspaper added that the army’s position is that the Palestinian Authority’s apparatuses must be strengthened as long as this does not pose a threat to army soldiers or settlers.
Haaretz reported that the Ministerial Council’s decision was taken after the security establishment presented options to support the Palestinian Authority’s forces that have recently been operating in Jenin and other areas in the West Bank against members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The newspaper said that the leaders of the Israeli army and the General Security Service (Shin Bet) believe that the authority has dealt firmly with the organizations, but they aspire to increase their effectiveness.
