The military said a Palestinian armed group’s drive-by shooting in Huwara, a flashpoint village in the occupied West Bank, wounded two Israeli troops. Saturday’s PLFP statement claimed responsibility for the shooting. The troops pursued the suspect. That was Huwara’s third gunshot in a month, following Israeli military operations and a settler spree. The event aroused concerns of escalation during Ramadan, which partially overlaps with Passover, a time when violence has erupted before. It was reported that Ramallah in the occupied West Bank that “any expectation of this being a tranquil opening to the holy month of Ramadan dissipated on this first Saturday of the month”.
The Israeli military reports a seriously injured soldier. “The second soldier has moderate injuries, and the gunman or shooters are being sought,” she said. After the incident, Huwara’s main road and stores were shuttered, and checkpoints blocked access. Ghoneim stated the Israeli troops invaded Huwara and clashed with Palestinians. Israeli media reported that Israeli forces prevented dozens of settlers from entering Huwara after Saturday’s shooting. Escalating tensions The first Friday Ramadan prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a volatile holy site, ended peacefully. On Saturday night, Israeli police entered the shrine to remove several worshippers who stayed after night prayers, saying they planned to “break public order” and disrupt early morning prayers and Israeli and tourist visits. Muslims pray and read the Quran all night in mosques. Palestinian and Muslim authorities who had decried Israeli soldiers invading the site have not responded to Saturday night’s evacuation. In Egypt last week, Israeli and Palestinian leaders pledged to reduce Ramadan bloodshed. Last month in Aqaba, Jordan, a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli settlers in a vehicle. Zionist Israelis then murdered a Palestinian man and burned scores of houses and automobiles.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose recent statements against the Palestinians and previously about Huwara calling it “wiped out” have garnered considerable criticism, warned Israel must not let assaults from the town become normal. The UN informed that Israeli settler violence against Palestinians is at its peak since 2006. In 2023, three violent occurrences occurred everyday, compared to two in 2022 and one in 2021. During the previous year, Israeli forces have arrested hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank and murdered more than 250 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, while Palestinian assaults have killed 40 Israelis and three Ukrainians.
