Israeli military kills 2 in Hebron gun battle as tension soars in West Bank

The Israeli military said it has killed two Palestinians in a gun battle in the city of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. The military said it had killed two gunmen on Friday after they had attacked a reserve battalion near the illegal settlement of Telem. Israel’s ambulance service reported that at least six Israeli soldiers were injured, with two in critical condition. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 In Israel election, Palestinian citizens weigh fear against disillusionment list 2 of 3 Outposts, violence, impunity: The anatomy of Israeli settler land grabs list 3 of 3 Israel frees suspects in two settler attacks as West Bank pogroms intensify end of list The gun fight comes amid heightened tensions across the Palestinian territory, with Israeli settlers and soldiers engaging in violent pogroms.

Attacks on olive harvesters have been rife, with aggression on the rise ahead of next week’s Israeli election. Israeli sources report that the Palestinians were driving a car with an Israeli licence plate before shooting towards the soldiers near one of the many military checkpoints surrounding Hebron. Witnesses in the area said the shooting lasted for 20 minutes, which complicated the process of evacuating the injured. Images shared by the AFP news agency appear to show a man holding a handgun during the fight, and later lying on the floor surrounded by Israeli soldiers.

Reports from Hebron said that the Israeli military has arrested two Palestinians and locked down the city. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a series of election-related engagements planned for Friday and is expected to speak later on the shootings. Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded by calling for Israel to take full control over the occupied West Bank, in which the Israeli government is encouraging the construction of numerous settlements, which are illegal.

Advertisement “We have to act before it’s too late. The Palestinian Authority must be dismantled and demilitarised, and its terror infrastructure wiped out completely,” he said in a statement. Israeli raids Reporting from Ramallah, Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim noted the precarious situation in the territory as settlers and Israeli security forces maintain pressure on the local population. “This is coming at a time of great tension, not just before the Israeli elections, but there has been a ramp-up in attacks by settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank,” she said.

Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinians during raids across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, as attacks on Palestinian farmers and their lands during the olive harvest season ramp up. In Jenin governorate, Israeli forces raided towns and villages, arresting 10 Palestinians, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, citing data from the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society. The town of Tuqu in the Hebron governorate was also raided by soldiers, who arrested former prisoner Shorok al-Badan, along with five others from other parts of Hebron, according to Wafa.

The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said that Israeli forces also arrested 14 people in Khirbet Jawaya village of Masafer Yatta in Hebron, while Wafa reported that three other Palestinians were arrested across the Hebron governorate, citing a security source. In Nablus and Jerusalem, three more Palestinians were arrested during Israeli raids in the village of Burin, the town of Awarta, and the Qalandiya refugee camp. Attack pattern The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said it documented 17 pogroms by Israeli forces and settlers on Thursday against Palestinian farmers and their land during the olive harvest.

The incidents were recorded across occupied West Bank governorates, including Hebron, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah and el-Bireh, Jenin and Salfit. According to the Commission, the attacks included assaults on farmers, preventing them from reaching their land, theft of crops and agricultural equipment, damage and burning of olive trees, as well as arrests, threats at gunpoint and live fire. The Commission says the pattern represents an escalation in attacks targeting the olive harvest and undermines Palestinians’ ability to access and cultivate their land and maintain their livelihoods.

Israeli attacks on Palestinian farmers garnered international attention and condemnation. US Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was briefly detained on Wednesday by the Israeli military with a warning while volunteering to help Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the occupied West Bank. Advertisement