RAMALA. At least ten Palestinians were killed yesterday during an operation by the Israeli army in occupied Nablus. West BankThis is stated in the message of the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority. According to American media, a 16-year-old boy was among the dead, and about 100 people were injured.

Those who died, aged 16 to 72, were killed during the Israeli invasion of Nablus. For its part, the Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad specified that the local head of its military wing was killed by Israeli fire. At least 82 Palestinians were treated in hospitals yesterday with gunshot wounds, some of them in critical condition, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

In a statement yesterday, after persistent questions from journalists, the press service of the Israeli army refused to comment on the number of victims and the course of the operation. “Our forces carried out an anti-terrorist operation that neutralized three wanted suspects in armed attacks in the West Bank. The suspects were planning attacks in the near future,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

According to Western media correspondents, the Israeli operation lasted three hours, the Israelis retreated shortly before 14:00 and became the bloodiest since 2005.

International apathy contributes to the tightening of repression in the occupied territories by the Netanyahu government.

Great intensity

At the same time, relations between Palestinians and Israelis are in a worse state, especially after the escalation of violence on the New Year and the extremely provocative attitude of government members towards the Palestinians. The far-right government of Netanyahu continues the tightening policy launched by his centrist predecessor, conducting large-scale “anti-terror operations” throughout the year.

Israel’s policy of brutal reprisal in connection with attacks against Israelis in the spring of 2022 has not proved effective against armed Palestinian organizations. Despite pledges by the new Netanyahu government to fight terrorism, the Knesset, dominated by the nationalist ruling coalition, appears powerless to propose a political solution. Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli army has killed more than 60 Palestinians. At the same time, the apathy of the international community towards Netanyahu’s provocative policy towards the Palestinians is spilling over into increased military violence in the occupied territories.

Meanwhile, a State Department statement yesterday said: “We are concerned about the rising civilian death toll in recent days and urge both sides to refrain from actions that rekindle tensions in the region.”