Israeli forces kill two Palestinian gunmen in West Bank raid

AFP | Nablus                    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian militants Friday in the occupied West Bank, a day after the United Nations urged "meaningful political process" to stem renewed violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A firefight erupted during the Israeli military raid on the city of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

The Palestinian health ministry announced "two martyrs and three injured as a result of the occupation (Israeli) aggression on Nablus". The Israeli army reported "no injuries" among its forces.

The army said it had entered Nablus to arrest two individuals wanted over a shooting earlier this month at Israeli police in a West Bank settlement that resulted in no casualties.

The Palestinian health ministry in a statement identified the two dead as Khairi Shaheen, 34, and Hamza Maqbul, 32, who the army said "were killed following an exchange of fire with security forces".

"During the activity, weapons which were used by the terrorists were confiscated," the army added.

Witnesses told AFP Israeli troops entered Nablus on Friday morning and surrounded a house in the Old City, a stronghold of armed Palestinian groups, before calling on those inside to turn themselves in.

The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the armed wing of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), claimed Shaheen and Maqbul as its members.

Friday's raid came amid a rising tide of violence in the region.

- 'Cycle of bloodshed' -

On Thursday, an Israeli soldier was shot dead by a Palestinian attacker near Nablus. The Israeli army said the assailant had been shot, but his condition remained unclear.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas claimed the shooting, calling it a "reaction" to an Israeli raid on Jenin refugee camp days earlier.

Israel launched on Monday its largest operation in years in the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.

Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed during the large-scale raid on Jenin refugee camp, which lasted more than 48 hours and ended Wednesday.

On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in New York that "there was an excessive force used by Israeli forces."

Israel has "legitimate concerns over its security", he added, "but escalation is not the answer. It simply bolsters radicalisation and leads to a deepening cycle of violence and bloodshed."

"Restoring the hope of the Palestinian people in a meaningful political process, leading to a two-state solution and the end of the occupation, is an essential contribution by Israel to its own security," Guterres said.

Earlier that same day, on Israel's northern border, the army struck southern Lebanon after an anti-tank missile launched from there exploded in the border area between the two foes.

In a phone call also on Thursday with US defence chief Lloyd Austin, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel "will continue to defend itself against any such threats, and will act decisively against terrorism", according to a statement released by Gallant's office.

Violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this year has killed at least 192 Palestinians, 27 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources from both sides.

They include, on the Palestinian side, combatants and civilians, and on the Israeli side, mostly civilians and three members of the Arab minority.