Israeli forces kill Palestinian militant in West Bank
Palestinian officials said in the latest incident in the last few months around the volatile city of Nablus, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian militant on Sunday Sep 25 during an army operation in the occupied West Bank.
The Dens of Lions, a Palestinian umbrella group formed of militants from different factions, said that the man, Said Al-Kawni, was a hero of resistance and died during clashes with occupation forces. Three other Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire in the incident, which was confirmed by the Israeli military.
Overnight, during the routine activities of the IDF Israel Defense Forces, IDF soldiers spotted armed suspects driving in a vehicle and motorcycle next to the city of Nablus, the military said. IDF soldiers responded by firing at the armed suspects. Hits were identified. The latest incident in a near-daily series of incidents around Nablus and the nearby town of Jenin underscored the volatile security climate on the West Bank as Israel heads towards elections on November 1.
Most shops in Nablus, site of one of the largest refugee camps in the West Bank, were closed on Sunday after militant factions called for a general strike.
A total of 70 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Israel launched its Operation Breakwater on Mar 31 in response to a string of fatal Palestinian street attacks in Israel. The toll includes militants and civilians.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called for a resurgence of long-dormant efforts to secure a two state solution to the conflict, following an appeal by US President Joe Biden last month.
There has been little sign of an end to the clashes, and with pre-election polls favoring former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a strong opponent of a two state solution, expectations of a breakthrough are low.
The US-brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem collapsed in 2014 and the continued expansion of Israeli settlements has made reviving the talks increasingly problematic.
Israeli security officials have called for the Palestinian Authority to do more to control violence by the gunmen associated with factions like Islamic Jihad, which are well established in cities like Jenin and Nablus.
The Palestinian Authority, increasingly unpopular among many in the West Bank, says its ability to exert its rule has been systematically undermined by Israel.
On Sunday, 30 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails began a hunger strike in protest of their conditions of detention.