Israeli security forces, in a predawn raid reminiscent of the simmering tensions in the occupied West Bank, killed two armed Palestinians suspected of being involved in a deadly shooting attack early this month.
The Israeli military also confirmed late Wednesday that Qutaiba Shalabi and Mohammed Nazzal were killed in a heavy exchange of fire during the operation in Burqin, a village close to the northern West Bank city of Jenin targeting armed groups in the area.
Shalabi and Nazzal were directly involved in a shooting attack that killed three Israelis earlier this month, the Israeli military said Sunday. The Hamas movement later issued a statement naming the two men as members of its armed wing.
The confrontation occurred under high tensions, with a large-scale Israeli military operation centered on and around Jenin since Tuesday. Palestinian local officials and witnesses described massive military presence: “Army vehicles have been severely restricting access to main infrastructure.
Medical and humanitarian access has been extremely limited throughout the operation to date: army-staffed checkpoints now observe and limit the movement of medical personnel and ambulances to the Jenin central hospital. The Jenin refugee camp is a densely populated camp sheltering both armed Palestinian factions and civilian residents; it has been virtually closed off.
In light of the ongoing military operation, Palestinian health ministry officials have reported substantial casualties. Preliminary figures show the death of twelve Palestinians, among them Shalabi and Nazzal, while dozens more are injured. The human costs of present-day military operations continue to underscore the stark human suffering that characterizes the ongoing battlefield between Israelis and Palestinians.
IDF tear down houses
In a further act that intensifies the tension, Israeli forces tear down the house in which Shalabi and Nazzal resided. The health ministry of Palestine affirmed that bodies of the two men were confiscated by Israeli forces, a practice which has become a subject of relentless controversy and pain for families of Palestinians.
It adds a further nuance to the already complex and volatile condition in the West Bank. The people of Israelites as well as Palestinians are now embedded within a cycle of violence that is increasingly becoming more difficult to break with military operations and retaliatory actions molding a kaleidoscopic state of uncertain fear that ebbs and flows.
International observers have been continuing to urge for a de-escalation and a return to diplomatic dialogue. But given the realities on the ground today, one could only assume that a peaceful resolution is still a long way ahead.
Both communities prepare themselves, along with Jewish communities, for all-consuming confrontations just waiting for that impossible miracle of a breakthrough that might finally bring an end to an unending cycle of violence.
