Smotrich during an inspection of areas around the Gaza Strip after the attack of last October 7 (French)
Al Jazeera's correspondent reported today, Friday, that the occupation forces stormed the Qalandia camp, north of occupied Jerusalem, and confrontations broke out with Palestinian youths, while a second wounded man was killed when he was shot by the occupation soldiers at the entrance to the town of Beit Awa in Hebron, south of the West Bank, on Thursday evening.
This comes at a time when Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he would ask the Council of Ministers for a “change of approach” in the West Bank, considering that the reason for what is happening is not the economy but rather a “deep hatred for Israel,” and that there is no difference between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
He added that Ramadan every year, and the period preceding it, cannot be turned into a bloodbath for the killing of Jews.
He pointed out, "This is not an inevitable fate, but rather something that requires the army to expand its military efforts, not reduce them, and close roads, restore checkpoints, and expand settlement as an appropriate Zionist response."
Two Israelis killed
Earlier yesterday, Thursday, Israeli Army Radio announced that two Israelis were killed by gunfire at the entrance to the Eli settlement, north of the city of Ramallah in the central West Bank.
The Israeli army spokesman said that a Palestinian gunman arrived at a gas station in the settlement and opened fire on a number of settlers before he was killed.
Israeli media reported that a settler was the one who shot the perpetrator of the attack, a former prisoner and Palestinian police officer from the Qalandiya camp, north of occupied Jerusalem.
A young Palestinian man was also injured by occupation bullets during their storming of the town of Birzeit, north of the city of Ramallah in the central West Bank.
Sources reported to Al Jazeera that the occupation forces raided the town with a large number of military vehicles and were stationed in its centre, which led to the outbreak of confrontations between Palestinian youths and the occupation forces.
Settlers attacks
On the other hand, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that a young Palestinian man was injured after settlers attacked him near the entrance to the village of Al-Sawiya, south of the city of Nablus.
Eyewitnesses said that masked settlers, who were in a vehicle on a street between the cities of Ramallah and Nablus, intercepted the young man on the road, beat him without any reason, and then fled.
Three Palestinians were also injured by bullets from the occupation forces in Jenin camp.
Palestinian medical sources reported that one of the injured was seriously injured due to a head injury.
An Israeli special force infiltrated a civilian vehicle into the Khallet Al-Souha area, west of the camp, and stormed a residential building before military forces arrived at the site.
The occupation forces arrested a young man from inside the building, at a time when clashes broke out with Palestinian resistance fighters during the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the camp.
The occupation arrested eight Palestinian citizens and confiscated a vehicle, after storming several areas in Hebron in the West Bank.
They also raided the homes of liberated prisoners in the town of Bani Naim, east of Hebron, in addition to raiding the town of Halhul, north of Hebron, and the areas of “Wadi al-Hariya” and “Umm al-Dalia” in the center of the city.
The occupation has escalated its arrest campaign in the West Bank since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip (European)
Arrests
On the other hand, the occupation forces arrested at least 20 Palestinians in the West Bank, including former prisoners and children.
The Prisoners' Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that the arrests were concentrated in Hebron, Ramallah, and Bethlehem.
This brings the number of people arrested by the occupation from the West Bank since October 7 to 7,325 people.
Source: Al Jazeera