Hundreds of Israeli occupiers storm ‘Joseph’s Tomb’ with military escort

Hundreds of Israeli occupiers stormed the site known as “Joseph’s Tomb” in the northern occupied West Bank late Wednesday, escorted by Israeli forces, according to Palestinian media. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli forces entered eastern Nablus with dozens of military vehicles and a bulldozer to secure the incursion. Israeli troops also fired tear gas at journalists and closed roads leading to the area, the agency said. The site lies on the eastern edge of Nablus, an area under Palestinian administrative control, and has repeatedly been a flashpoint for tensions. Israeli occupiers claim the site contains the remains of the biblical Joseph, brought from Egypt and buried there. Palestinian accounts and archaeologists have disputed that claim, saying the structure is only a few centuries old and is the tomb of a Muslim religious figure named Youssef Dweikat. The site has been a frequent destination for Israeli occupiers holding religious rituals since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. Despite being under Palestinian administration, the site is regularly stormed by Israeli occupiers accompanied by Israeli forces, often at night. Israel’s escalation in the West Bank, including attacks by the army and occupiers since the start of the Gaza war, has killed 1,183 Palestinians and injured more than 12,000 others, in addition to the arrest of around 24,000, according to official Palestinian figures.