Israel has killed a senior member of the Al-Aqsa Brigades in a military operation in the West Bank. Ibrahim al-Nablusi was responsible for a series of attacks on Israeli soldiers in the area, the Israeli domestic intelligence service Shin Bet and the military said on Tuesday. Explosives and other weapons were found during the attempted arrest.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, a 16-year-old and a 32-year-old were killed in the operation alongside Al-Nablusi. At least 40 people were injured by gunfire. Nablus hospitals reported 69 injured.
The Al-Aqsa Brigades issued a statement threatening retaliation. They are the military wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement. However, it is a loose network without a clear hierarchy, local groups often act on their own.
According to Palestinian sources, clashes broke out at several Israeli army checkpoints in the West Bank after the incidents in Nablus. According to the Ministry of Health, a 17-year-old was fatally injured in the Hebron area.
Fatah called trade strikes in several cities in protest. Shops remained closed in many places and events were cancelled.
Since a wave of terror in Israel in spring, the army in the West Bank has been carrying out more anti-terrorist raids.
