Nablus

- After hours of searching and combing, the Israeli occupation arrested yesterday, Saturday evening, those who claimed to have carried out the "Salfit operation" (Ariel settlement) the day before yesterday, Friday, and killed an Israeli soldier working as a guard for the settlement.

Coinciding with iftar time on the penultimate day of Ramadan, the families of Muhammad Marei (50 years old) and Samih Assi (45 years old) were on a date with a major storming by the occupation army of their homes in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan near the city of Salfit in the northern West Bank, followed by their arrest And 5 of their sons, including the accused, Yahya and Youssef, then published their photos and the weapon of the operation.

Israeli special forces infiltrated through civilian vehicles and independently surrounded the homes of Muhammad Marei and Samih Assi, then stormed them with the occupation soldiers, who soon stormed the village with about 40 military vehicles carrying dozens of heavily armed soldiers.

Among their families, the soldiers arrested Yehia Marei (20 years) and Youssef Assi (21 years), and severely beat them in front of their families, forced them to remove their clothes, and took them handcuffed to the detention patrol.

Then the soldiers returned to arrest Yahya’s father and brother Montaser (16), Yusef’s father and two brothers: Omair (16 years) and Bilal (15 years), and the two families were investigated on the ground amid abuse of their members, tampering and vandalism of their homes, and the confiscation of Yusef’s father’s vehicle.

The scene of the arrest was lived by the people of Qarawa in all its details. As for the secret that has not yet been revealed, it is still in the custody of the two friends, Yahya and Youssef, as information was scarce except from the occupation’s claim and accusing them of carrying out “Operation Salfit” through its various media.

As for the event, it was documented and published by the occupation cameras, as the “enforcers” Yahya and Youssef stormed the western entrance to the Ariel settlement perched on the lands of their city (Salfit) with a vehicle bearing Israeli registration plates, and as soon as they arrived, they opened fire from their own hand-made rifles known as “Carlo” towards the guards and fired A soldier entrusted with the task of guarding fell dead before withdrawing with great professionalism, as if nothing had happened.

Yahya Al-Ayyash and Youssef Al-Asir

According to their relatives, Yahya and Yusef, in addition to kinship, are linked by two cousins, a solid friendship relationship based on closeness in age and a common revelation and many qualities that bring them together, the most important of which are "complete calm, love of people and keeping a secret."

Muhannad Marei, uncle of Yahya, said - in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net - that what happened was not only surprising for the family, but for the whole town, adding, "It was something unexpected and surprising from these two people in particular."

Muhannad continues, "I saw Yahya yesterday evening at his family's house when I went to check on my father, who lives with them, and he did not show anything, but was calm as usual."

Two years ago, Yahya completed his high school from the schools of his village, Qarawat Bani Hassan, and was unable to travel abroad to complete his university studies due to the outbreak of the Corona virus.

And he continued to help his father with his work in their furniture company, especially as he is the eldest son among 6 of his father's sons between males and females.

Carlo rifles with which the two young men carried out the Salfit operation, according to the occupation army (communication sites)

Named after the Qassam leader

Muhammad Marei (Yahya’s father) named Yahya after his son after the Qassam leader, the martyr Yahya Ayyash, who was his companion in the resistance. One of the martyrs.

Within his prison, Yahya's father was known for his great character and dedication to serving the prisoners who trusted him, so they sent him to serve Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) while he was detained in Ramle prison.

Like Yahya, his friend Youssef was working in one of the town's commercial facilities without completing his education, but he was arrested by the Israeli occupation and released about a year ago after spending 6 months in his prisons.

However, "he did not have any political or other activity like his friend Yahya, and they are known to be very calm," according to Ibrahim Assi, Yusef's relative and head of the municipal council.

The village of Bani Hassan is surrounded by 7 Israeli settlements, one of which confiscates lands from the village of about 10,000 dunams (a dunam is equal to one thousand square meters), while the occupation arrests 15 young men from the village, one of whom, Abdel Aziz Marei, is serving a 35-year prison sentence for aiding the martyr Muhannad Al-Halabi. Carrying out a stabbing attack in 2016 in Jerusalem and killing two Israelis.

foster village

In the same regard, Fuad al-Khufash, a researcher in prisoner affairs, who was Rafiq Muhammad Mar’i (Yahya’s father) in detention, says that the village of Bani Hassan was known, in addition to its harboring of fighters, with the departure of resistance fighters such as Adnan Mar’i, Ali Assi, Saher al-Tamm and others.

However, the last “Salfit operation” was characterized, according to Khuffash, in the timing of the “Jewish Sabbath,” the mechanism of its implementation and speed, and the misleading of the occupation over a whole day by searching for the perpetrators, using various elements of his army and special units.

Its importance also lies in the fact that it was implemented in Ariel settlement, "the second largest settlement in the West Bank and the most security and military reinforcement, and in an area teeming with dozens of settlements and military army posts."

Al-Khuffash - whose post on Facebook deleted the struggle history of "Abu Yahya" - added that the process restored the cause and the Palestinian people, and confirmed that it does not compromise their rights, and sent a message to the settlers, specifically who storm the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Omar Abu Laila.. the scene again with its craftsmanship

The recent "Salfit operation" brought to the minds of the Palestinians what the young martyr Omar Abu Laila, from the village of Al-Zawiya, near Qarawat Bani Hassan, had done when he carried out a double operation between stabbing, shooting and killing Israelis near the Ariel settlement in mid-March 2019.

And the “Salfit operation” is the second and last in the month of Ramadan after the Ra’ad al-Hazem operation, which was carried out in the city of Jenin in Tel Aviv, in which a number of Israelis were killed.