Israeli forces stormed a major Palestinian city in the West Bank on Wednesday to make arrests in broad daylight, sparking a fierce exchange of fire in which at least 11 Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded.
It was one of the bloodiest battles in nearly a year of fighting in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, raising the prospect of further fighting. Israel police said they were on alert, while in Gaza, the Hamas group said it was “running out” of patience. Islamic Jihad, another radical group, vowed retaliation.
Among the dead were two Palestinian men, ages 72 and 61, as well as a 16-year-old teenager, according to health officials.
The four-hour operation left an extensive trail of damage in an old market in Nablus, a city considered a fighter stronghold.
In an emotional scene, a overwhelmed doctor declared a man dead, before realizing the victim was his father. Video taken at the scene showed two men, apparently unarmed, being shot while running down the street.
Israel has intensified its operations to arrest wanted fighters in the West Bank since Palestinian individuals carried out a series of attacks in Israel last year.
Israeli officials compare these operations to “mowing the lawn”, assuring that they are necessary to prevent a difficult situation from worsening. But the raids have done little to reduce violence, and in cases like Wednesday’s raid, they increase the possibility of reprisals.
The Israeli armed forces reported that they entered Nablus to arrest three men suspected of carrying out attacks.
