Both Nablus and Jenin have been the sites of rising confrontations in recent weeks [Getty]
Confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians have erupted in recent days, with a Palestinian man shot on Tuesday evening and an Israeli lightly injured when settlers stormed Nablus.
According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, Israeli forces shot a Palestinian man in the abdomen in the village of Qusra near Nablus while several others suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Local sources said Israeli forces raided the village and opened fire at people, also using tear gas and sound bombs.
Israel launches regular incursions on the village, sparking violent confrontations with residents in the area.
According to The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby al-Jadeed, an Israeli army spokesperson confirmed that a bus carrying Israeli settlers had made its way into Nablus, with many of them storming the Joseph’s Tomb area.
The bus was shot at by Palestinian fighters, lightly injuring the driver, reports state.
The Israeli army issued a statement shortly after saying the incident is under investigation and all the people involved have been transferred to the police for further questioning.
Last month, three Israelis were also lightly wounded as they made their way to Joseph’s Tomb, which has long caused tensions as settlers protected by the army plan tours there without coordination or permissions.
Jenin camp
The confrontations come as the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces have also cracked down on Palestinian fighters in the Jenin camp, for the 14th consecutive day.
The area, in the north of the West Bank, has been under a tight siege following tensions between Palestinian security forces and those from the Jenin Battalion, which is affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
Residents of the camp have launched a commercial strike across the city, with Wednesday marking the second day of it, in solidarity with residents of the camp and to call for an end to the siege.
Local sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that many shop owners closed their doors out of fear of being targeted and to call for an end to Palestinian fighters being targeted.
The camp has faced a power outage for almost five days, with access to electricity being intermittent, while many people have been confined to their homes due to the firing of tear gas in the streets.
At least three Palestinians have been killed in Jenin camp in the past two weeks as security forces clamp down on people affiliated with the PIJ.
Hamas has lambasted the operation carried out by the PA, labelling it a “fully-fledged crime”.
The PA, which exercises limited control in the West Bank, coordinates with Israeli authorities on security matters, much to the criticism of Palestinians in the occupied territory.
Israeli arrests
The recent clashes have added to the soaring violence in the occupied West Bank, particularly since the launch of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.
Israeli forces detained at least 15 Palestinians from various areas in the West Bank from Tuesday evening to the early hours of Wednesday.
The Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said the arrests were mainly carried out in Hebron, Jericho, Tulkarem, Ramallah, Qalqilya and Jerusalem.
One of those arrested was a woman from Gaza who was in the West Bank for urgent treatment, Wafa reported, adding that children and former prisoners were among those detained.
