As casualties mount in Gaza and popular unrest spreads in the West Bank, Palestinian resistance factions raised their calls for action Monday following a deadly incident near the Kedumim settlement. The shooting attack that killed three settlers and injured six others brought the deepening crisis in the occupied territories strongly to the fore.
As the news of the attack spread across the northern West Bank, Palestinian groups began issuing statements contextualizing the attack in the wider conflict. For its part, Hamas described the operation as a direct response to what it describes as an Israeli campaign of destruction in Gaza, a threat of displacement in the West Bank, and a battle over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Speaking through official channels, Hamas framed the attack as a signal to the new government of Israel, underlining that Palestinian resistance would continue unabated until occupation troops retreat from occupied lands. The leadership linked the situation in Gaza with growing tensions in the West Bank.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, for instance, has viewed the incident as posing a severe challenge to Israeli security structures. The organization has openly called for increased resistance activities throughout the West Bank, claiming that such actions would disrupt Israeli military planning as well as weaken security measures in the region.
Joining the rising chorus is the Popular Resistance Committees, which described the attack as a predictable consequence of the policies that Israel has pursued in both Gaza and the West Bank. Their statement particularly highlighted concerns regarding what they call “plans of judaization and annexation” of occupying territories.
All this, even as city continues to witness its most unprecedented outbreak of violence, with the death toll since October 7, 2023 hitting over 45,800, most of which are women and children. This shocking loss of lives affects escalating tensions across all Palestinian territories under Israeli control.
Tensions Ratcheting Up
Residents of the West Bank tell of ratcheting up tension., and every day there are new battles, said Ahmad Khalil, a man from one of the neighboring villages. “It only grows worse and worse and individuals are becoming more hopeless.”
Experts on security point out that the recent attack and subsequent demands for retaliation are new developments in this conflict. A regional security expert asked to remain anonymous for the moment said, “What is happening now is the Gazan crisis being exported to the West Bank.”
Such statements from the Palestinian factions show a growing belief in resistance groups that a united front in the West Bank can affect Israel’s military operations in Gaza. But, the application of this strategy might lead to more die of civilian and more crises in the region.
It was not immediately clear what the day’s events and the subsequent calls for escalation meant as Monday evening fell over the West Bank. Perhaps a prominent fact is that observers state the fact of the continued rapid development of events in this aspect, which may have equally severe consequences for both the Israeli and the Palestinian population of the territories occupied by Israel.
