IOF invades Nablus yet again

Early Tuesday morning on Oct 16th, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) invaded the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Two Palestinians, a resistance fighter in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, and a 70 year old man, were killed during the raid which also left several people severely injured, including one woman who was shot in the back inside her own home and is now in a critical state in Ratadia hospital. The photojournalist Alaa Badarna was also shot four times in the back with rubber bullets whilst attempting to film the incursion.

The incursion began at approximately 1.30am as the IOF moved into the streets of Ras Alain and Keshekeh, in a neighborhood west of the old city. The army occupied several houses and military jeeps blocked off streets to traffic in numerous places.

Human Rights Workers (HRWs) arrived at approximately 8am to find a group of children around the age of six trapped inside their school, terrified to move. Their teachers tried to negotiate their passage to safety past an IOF Jeep, but the soldiers initially denied them permission to move the children. With the help of Palestinian medical volunteers and HRWs the children were eventually moved outside the conflict zone and were driven away to safety.

By 11am the IOF were occupying two more properties and had installed a sniper on the roof of one. Medical teams were denied access to sick residents inside the buildings but were later allowed to take people inside to hospital, and to bring in supplies. The IOF consolidated their position and stayed until the early evening, firing sporadically.

Tear gas and sound bombs were used throughout the day by the IOF, and also Israeli police, who fired gas canisters and a sound bomb into a group of medics and HRWs. Two of the ambulance crews on the scene reported two women and two youths who had been shot at with tear gas.

The raid concluded early this evening after the IOF arrested a number of residents.