UN condemns Israel’s use of ‘explosive’ weapons against Palestinians in Nablus raid

Middle East Monitor  /  February 24, 2023

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, yesterday condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ use of “explosive projectiles”, which resulted in 11 deaths and 102 injuries among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.

“I am deeply concerned that scores of Palestinians, including a boy and three older men, were killed and hundreds injured in the Israeli operation in Nablus, and by airstrikes and rocket attacks between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip,” said Turk.

Conducting an operation involving shoulder-launched explosive projectiles and other weapons typically associated with hostilities in a highly populated area in broad daylight at a time of heightened public activity suggests disregard for the lives and security of bystanders.

The Israeli occupation’s military stormed the city on Wednesday with armoured vehicles murdering 11 Palestinians, including a 16-year-old boy and 72- and 68-year-old men, in addition to wounding 102 others.

“I reiterate my recent call to halt the illogic of escalation that has been building up to the detriment of the human rights of both Palestinians and Israelis,” Turk added.

He stressed that all law enforcement security operations must comply with international human rights law, including ensuring that all killings and serious injuries are investigated under international norms and standards.

Nablus and nearby Jenin have been a focus of raids that Israel has intensified over the past year.

Sixty-two Palestinians, including gunmen and civilians, have been killed so far in 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.