The Israeli military has stated that Palestinian militants fired six rockets towards southern Israel on Thursday, hours after Israeli forces conducted a raid in the occupied West Bank, leading to a fierce gun battle in which 11 Palestinians were killed. The rocket attacks were not claimed by any specific group but seemed to have been prompted by the raid on Nablus. The Israeli military said that its Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted five rockets fired towards the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot, while one rocket landed in an open field. No damage or casualties were reported.
A Bloody Operation
Eleven Palestinians, including a 16-year-old boy, were killed in the raid in Nablus, which led to one of the bloodiest battles in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in almost a year. The raid was meant to arrest three militants, including a suspect wanted in the killing of an Israeli soldier last fall. Israeli forces surrounded the building and asked the men to surrender, but instead, they opened fire, which led to a four-hour gun battle. The military said that it had fired missiles at the house, flattening the building and killing two of the militants, while one who tried to flee was shot and killed.
The Hamas militant group in Gaza said its patience was “running out.” Islamic Jihad, another militant group, vowed to retaliate. Israel’s police force stated that it was on high alert, anticipating violence. This comes at a sensitive time, less than two months after Israel’s new hard-line government took office.
“Mowing the Lawn”
Israel has been conducting stepped-up arrest raids of wanted militants in the West Bank since a series of deadly Palestinian attacks in Israel last spring. The Israeli government refers to these operations as “mowing the lawn,” claiming that they are necessary to prevent a difficult situation from turning worse. However, such raids have shown few signs of slowing the violence, and in cases like Wednesday’s operation, they can raise the likelihood of reprisals.
Amateur footage showed two young men being shot as they ran in the street, but the video did not show the events that led to the shooting. The military is investigating the video, which has been widely shared online.
Impact of the Fighting
The influx of wounded overwhelmed Nablus’s Najah Hospital, with many patients shot in the chest, head, and thighs. Palestinians paraded the bodies of the dead through the streets, with thousands of people chanting in support of the militants.
The West Bank and Gaza have seen a surge in violence in recent months, with dozens of Palestinians and several Israelis killed in shootings, stabbings, and car rammings. Tensions have also increased over the planned evictions of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem, which has sparked protests in the city.
