A Palestinian man has been shot and killed by Israeli forces throughout a raid in an occupied West Bank town following a confrontation that resulted in a constructing being destroyed.
Abdul Rahim Fayez Ghannam, 36, was shot in the pinnacle in Aqaba, north of Tubas, and pronounced lifeless on the native hospital on Friday.
Nidal Odeh, director of emergency companies in Aqaba, informed native media that Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching the wounded, and one ambulance was immediately focused by dwell ammunition.
Israeli forces raided the town in search of Ahmad Walid, who they accused of finishing up a taking pictures assault close to a checkpoint in the Jordan Valley final month.
Witness Saleh Abu Arra informed Al Jazeera the Israeli troopers thought Walid was hiding in one of many buildings however he was not there.
“The raid started at about 5am. My two brothers live with their families in the building that was surrounded by Israeli forces,” the 39-12 months previous mentioned.
One of his brothers, Bakr Abu Arra, was apprehended by the Israelis.
“They yelled at him on loudspeakers to come out with his family, and proceeded to beat him with their guns and curse at him, terrifying his wife and children,” Saleh Abu Arra mentioned.
After half an hour, Israeli forces began firing sound bombs and tear fuel canisters on the constructing, then focused the second and third flooring with antitank grenades, which additionally destroyed an adjoining marriage ceremony corridor.
Violent confrontations ensued for the following 5 hours, one other witness Amir al-Qasem mentioned, with Israeli troopers firing on the ruined constructing with dwell ammunition, and Palestinian residents throwing objects at army autos.
Armed Palestinian males additionally focused the Israeli convoy with dwell hearth.
“The martyr Fayez was caught in the crossfire,” al-Qasem mentioned. “He is a farmer and was on his way to his fields.”
Al-Qasem mentioned the Israelis failed in their mission to arrest Walid, after which started firing randomly on the destroyed home and surrounding areas.
“I’ve never seen such a huge amount of bullet casings inside the building,” he mentioned.
Israeli forces arrested the 2 brothers Bakr and Mohammed Abu Arra and their father Abdelrazeq.
Ahmad Walid’s brother Mushrif informed Al Jazeera he have been stunned when Israeli intelligence referred to as him on the cellphone.
“My brother is a labour worker inside Israel, and he goes away for two weeks to a month at a time,” Mushrif mentioned.
“We told the Israelis that he isn’t here, but they forced my elderly parents outside and took them to the Abu Arra building and made them call for Ahmad to surrender himself on the loudspeakers.”
In a press release, the Israeli military mentioned a firefight broke out between armed fighters and troopers and “a hit was identified on one of the gunmen”.
Troops additionally “used shoulder-fired missiles and grenades” and subsequently discovered improvised explosive gadgets and different weapons in the constructing, it mentioned.
The close to-every day Israeli army raids have resulted in among the worst preventing in the occupied West Bank for the reason that early 2000s.
More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israel for the reason that begin of this 12 months, with the United Nations saying 2023 is the deadliest 12 months for Palestinians for the reason that world physique started recording Palestinian fatalities in 2006.
Additional reporting by Ayman Nobani in Aqaba, occupied West Bank.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/1/palestinian-farmer-killed-in-gunfight-after-israeli-raid-on-west-bank-town?traffic_source=rss
