Nablus

- On Sunday afternoon, the scene seemed to be as if Nablus, the largest city in the northern West Bank, went out of its way to attend the funeral of two of its martyrs with a funeral in which thousands of people flocked to mourn from all sides, and the sound of the resistance's bullets filled the void of streets and markets that declared complete mourning.

From where the bodies of the two martyrs, Muhammad al-Azizi and Abd al-Rahman Sobh, arrived at Rafidia Governmental Hospital, the funeral procession took place, and the two martyrs were carried on their shoulders, led by dozens of angry gunmen, and shops were closed, and the general strike took place in mourning and in response to calls made by the national forces through the mosques’ loudspeakers.

At the Martyrs' Roundabout in the city center, the funeral prayer was held with the participation of tens of thousands, before their funeral in the Western Cemetery, amid chants entitled honoring the martyrs and calling for revenge and revenge for them.

The participation of large crowds in the funeral and the appearance of dozens of armed resistance fighters, including Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, who appeared with a veil on his face and is the most wanted man for the occupation of Nablus and the direct target of the military operation at dawn today, Sunday, reflected the extent of the Palestinian anger against the Israeli occupation and the readiness for any upcoming confrontation.

A side of the funeral of the two martyrs, Muhammad Al-Azizi and Abdul Rahman Sobh, in the city of Nablus (Reuters)

A clash that lasted for hours

Information obtained by Al Jazeera Net indicates that Israeli special forces stormed the Yasmina neighborhood in the Old City in the center of Nablus at approximately two o'clock in the morning, with a white closed civilian truck (refrigerator for transporting freezers), and surrounded a house where a group of resistance fighters were described by Israel as "wanted".

After the issue of the special unit was exposed, the occupation army rushed to fire heavily at the resistance fighters and closed the targeted area to prevent the arrival of other armed men to support the besieged.

However, the occupation soldiers were met with a great response from the Palestinian resistance fighters, who engaged in violent clashes that lasted for hours and led to the withdrawal of a number of them peacefully, and the martyrdom of the two young men, Sobh and Al-Azizi, and the injury of 10 others, one of whom was described as critically injured.

According to researcher Muhammad Abu Allan, who follows the Israeli media, the military operation lasted for about 5 hours, including 3 hours that witnessed continuous clashes between the resistance fighters and the occupation soldiers.

Allan quoted Hebrew sources as saying that the military operation aimed to arrest a cell "in possession of large quantities of weapons", in addition to the most prominent stalker Ibrahim al-Nabulsi.

Abu Allan explained to Al-Jazeera Net that the exposure of the command of the special forces led to the strengthening of the occupation and the extension of the special units with large numbers of soldiers, while elements of the Yamam unit (mostly dedicated to assassinations) and others to the Shin Bet (intelligence) participated in the operation, as well as the use of drones (Drones). ) that was monitoring the place throughout the process.


The most important battle in 20 years

The large number of soldiers and the use of "Lao and Matador" missiles in the bombing of the house in which the fighters were fortified reflected the size and danger of the military operation, according to researcher Muhammad Abu Allan, which was demonstrated by the extent of the destruction caused by the clashes and bombing in the morning, which led to the burning of a number of shops and vehicles.

Abu Allan suggested that the battle would receive a great media resonance;

It brought back to memory the scene of extensive Israeli military operations in the city about 20 years ago, specifically in what was known as the "2002 invasions", as "the city of Nablus witnessed the last extensive and huge clash in this way, in which bullets were used and various units of the army and missiles participated in it."

This was confirmed by citizens Al-Jazeera Net spoke to, saying that what happened today brought them back to the scene of the Israeli invasion of Nablus in 2002, specifically the old city, which at that time led to the martyrdom of dozens of Palestinian resistance fighters and to widespread destruction in the area that includes historic buildings and neighborhoods.

Thousands participated in the funeral of the two martyrs of the military operation in the Old City in the center of Nablus (Al-Jazeera)

A dangerous operation within the "breakwater"

Nevertheless, some Israeli commentators admitted that the presence of wanted persons in the Old City, or the “wasps’ nest,” as the occupation described it today, is difficult to reach and requires accurate intelligence information. Any strange face in these neighborhoods raises suspicion and increases the danger of any participant in an operation against them.

The extent of the clashes in Nablus and the spread of gunmen on the roofs of houses, according to the occupation's estimates, showed the extent of the "dangerous Palestinian gunmen" who are now widely spread in Palestinian cities and camps, especially in Nablus and Jenin.

Today's operation, according to researcher Abu Allan, falls within the framework of the largest operation launched by the occupation army in late March under the title "Waves Breaker", which aimed to arrest or liquidate those accused of carrying out or potential perpetrators of operations against the occupation soldiers and settlers, following a series of commando operations inside The "Green Line" led to the killing and wounding of many Israelis.

Abu Allan points out that the occupation estimates indicate a "significant increase in the size of the resistance operations and the increasing number of warnings about that."

The occupation links this to "the state of frustration experienced by the Palestinians during the visit of US President Joe Biden, and their failure to obtain any benefits from it."

Nablus Brigade

Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi is considered the most wanted man by the occupation forces, and he is the only survivor of the "assassination operation" that targeted 3 resistance fighters in the Al-Makhfieh neighborhood, west of Nablus, in early February, and today was the second time that he survived.

Israel accuses him, along with other resistance fighters, who have come to be known as the "Nablus Brigade" (similar to the Jenin Brigade), of being behind the shootings of the occupation army and settlers during their storming of "Joseph's Tomb" in east Nablus, the last of which was 3 weeks ago when 4 settlers and the head of the settlements council in the north were wounded. West Bank Yossi Dagan.

It was clear during the funeral of his two companions this afternoon, the extent of the popular support enjoyed by the young man in his twenties, who pledged in a video previously published to continue on the path of the martyrs, and not to surrender under any circumstances, even if he was assassinated, and said, "This is my path until the liberation of Palestine."