Key Developments (September 19-21)
Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in on Tuesday, September 19th in the West Bank and Gaza. The Israeli military raided the Jenin refugee camp
on Tuesday evening, sparking armed confrontations with local resistance
groups. Four Palestinians in the Jenin camp were killed, including one minor,
according to Defense for Children International Palestine. Two of the
martyrs were killed by live ammunition, while the other two were
assassinated using a “suicide drone.” The target of the raid was
reportedly Muhammad Abu Albahaa, a Fatah-affiliated fighter in the camp.
Israeli forces surrounded his home and bombarded it with live fire and
anti-tank missiles. Albahaa was not apprehended, but Israeli forces
reportedly arrested his father, and have allegedly been sending threats
to Albahaa’s family in attempts to pressure the fighter to surrender.
Notably, Israeli forces also sustained damages after their military
convoy was targeted with an IED planted by Palestinian resistance group.
The use of IEDs has become a common tactic used by Palestinian
resistance groups in the Jenin area. Outside of Jenin, one Palestinian
was killed in Jericho’s Aqbat Jaber refugee camp, and another was killed
in the Gaza Strip during protests along the Israeli border fence that
surrounds the strip.
One hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner ended his strike on
Wednesday, September 20th after successfully securing a release date by
Israeli authorities. Sultan Khallouf was on hunger strike for
49 days in protest against being placed in administrative detention, a
policy used by Israel to indefinitely imprison Palestinians without
charge or trial. According to Palestinian media reports, Khallouf will
be released on December 2nd, 2023. With the end of Khallouf’s strike,
one Palestinian administrative detainee remains on hunger strike, Kayed
al-Fasfous, who has been on hunger strike for 50 days as of September
21. On Wednesday Israeli courts rejected an appeal by Fasfous against
his detention. Fasfous is a 34-year-old husband and father of one
daughter, who, in 2021, underwent a 131-day hunger strike in protest of
his administrative detention at the time. It is common for Palestinian
prisoners to spend years, on and off, in and out of administrative
detention, as Israel frequently re-arrests prisoners deemed as political
or “security threats” and puts them under administrative detention when
there is no concrete evidence against them.
A number of Palestinian resistance operations and Israeli
military raids were reported overnight between Wednesday and Thursday
across the West Bank. Early in the morning Thursday, around
2am, the Tulkarem Brigade, which operates under the banner of
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), released a statement claiming
responsibility for firing towards the Avni Hefetz settlement, and for
targeting an Israeli checkpoint near the Taybeh checkpoint in the
northwestern West Bank a few hours prior. “We renew our pledge and
promise to defend our city and our steadfast camps, no matter the
sacrifices required,” the brigade said in the statement. Armed
confrontations were also reported in the northern West Bank cities of
Nablus and Tubas, following raids on the cities by Israeli army forces.
In Tubas Israeli forces were reportedly after a wanted Palestinian
fighter, but failed to arrest him after forces came under heavy fire
from resistance fighters in Tubas. Following the raid, the “Tubas
Brigade”, also affiliated with PIJ, released a statement saying that it
used IEDs to target Israeli military convoys as they were raiding the
city. The brigade also claimed responsibility for shooting operations
targeting an Israeli military checkpoint and tower in the Tubas area
later that morning. “Our jihad continues, and our weapons are legitimate
in all arenas” the statement concluded. Important figures
- At least 240 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the start
of the year, with the vast majority killed in the West Bank.
- 5,100 Palestinian political prisoners are currently being held in Israeli jails, including 1,200 administrative detainees.
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