MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / December 6, 2022
Israeli forces storm Palestinian communities across the West Bank in latest escalation.
Israeli forces arrested several Palestinians in dawn raids in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.
Medical teams reported at least 15 Palestinians were wounded, mainly by rubber bullets.
Confrontations between Israeli troops and Palestinians also erupted in different areas of the West Bank.
Local news agencies reported that Palestinian fighters opened fire on Israeli forces near a cluster of illegal Jewish settlements between Gush Etzion and Hebron/Al-Khalil, with no reported casualties.
Shootings near Ofra, a Jewish settlement on the main road between Jerusalem and Nablus, were also reported, again without any injuries.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club, an NGO supporting detainees, reported that homes in Nablus and Bethlehem were raided and at least two people were arrested.
In the northern city of Jenin, Israeli forces stormed the homes of several previously released Palestinian prisoners.
In the outskirts of Ramallah, which serves as the de facto administrative capital of Palestine, Israeli authorities installed roadblocks and checkpoints, impeding the movement of Palestinians.
Israeli troops also closed major roads south of Nablus that connect to Ramallah and confiscated cars.
Record-breaking violence
Palestinian outlets reported at least 26 acts of Palestinian resistance in the past 24 hours, mostly gunfire aimed at Israeli forces. Near daily – and often deadly – Israeli raids in the West Bank in recent months have inflamed tensions, with Palestinians increasingly facing off the assaults with force.
On Monday, Israeli forces in the West Bank killed one Palestinian and wounded six others.
This year, Israeli forces have killed at least 208 Palestinians, 156 in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, making it the deadliest year recorded for Palestinians since 2005.
Palestinians have killed 29 Israelis in the same period, the highest number since 2008.
