Five Palestinians killed in occupied West Bank

Israeli soldiers have murdered five Palestinians in the illegally occupied West Bank, including a 14-year-old child, as part of ongoing operations by Israel’s military forces in response to a spate of fatal assaults inside Israel.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, two Palestinians were murdered in an Israeli operation early Thursday, and three others on Wednesday.

The Israeli military said the 14-year-old had thrown a petrol bomb at soldiers who “used live ammunition in order to stop the immediate threat”.

The Palestinian health ministry reported another Palestinian was killed in fighting near Ramallah on Wednesday during an Israeli arrest operation. The Israeli military and police had no quick reaction.

Hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli armoured vehicles, with sporadic gunfire.

Three Palestinians preparing an impending assault on Israelis were captured during the operation, according to Shin Bet. Approximately 20 “terror” suspects were captured on Wednesday, according to military and police reports.

On Wednesday, the military reportedly shot Muhammad Hassan Muhammad Assaf, a 34-year-old Palestinian lawyer. The health ministry stated Assaf works for a PLO department that monitors and opposes Israeli settlement activities on Palestinian property. The government says he was shot in Nablus.

Four incidents in Israel in the previous three weeks have killed 14 people, including a shooting last week in Tel Aviv’s city centre.

The executions, according to Palestinian National Initiative Secretary-General Mustafa Barghouti, are a “dangerous escalation”.

“To me, these confrontations are leading to something that could become a wide-ranging Intifada,”  he declared from Ramallah.

Reuters reports that Israeli soldiers have murdered over 20 Palestinians since January.

On Wednesday, the Palestinian foreign ministry claimed Israel was “fully responsible” for the military’s conduct, and President Mahmoud Abbas’ spokesperson called on the international community to intervene.

Last May, an 11-day assault on the beleaguered Gaza Strip erupted during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The battle killed 232 people and devastated the already poor region.

Also Read

Palestine seeks international intervention to stop tension with Israelis

RAMALLAH, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Sunday called on the intervention...