Israeli raid near Jerusalem injures two Palestinians

Two Palestinians have reportedly sustained injuries by an Israeli raid in the Occupied West Bank near Jerusalem, the Middle East Eye via WAFA news agency reported on September 30th.

Israeli soldiers opened fire during an attack on Kafr Aqab, a town located north of occupied East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that one person was transferred to the hospital after sustaining a live bullet wound to the hand.

The raid near Jerusalem is part of a pattern of escalating Israeli violence against Palestinian inhabitants of the West Bank, with many attacks being carried out with impunity.

Palestinians living in the West Bank have faced increasing levels of violence from Israeli settlers in recent months, including an attack on the Palestinian village, Khillet al-Dabaa, south of Hebron on September 5th, which left multiple people with injuries.

Settler groups also vandalised the Pine Tree Nursery, located between Yetma and Qabalan; trees were uprooted, and equipment was damaged during the 2 am attack.

This attack came just days after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich unveiled plans on September 3rd to annex 82% of the West Bank.

Speaking at a press conference, Smotrich said: “We can never allow an existential threat [a Palestinian state] to establish itself among us, and after decades of hesitation, it is time to state this clearly and act accordingly.”

“It is time to apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria [the biblical term for the West Bank] and remove, once and for all, the idea of dividing our small land and establishing a terrorist state in its heart.”

On July 31st, a Palestinian-American named Khamis Abdul Latif Ayyad was killed due to an Israeli arson attack as he tried to protect his family’s home, which was located in Silwad, a town northeast of Ramallah.

Ayyad had been visiting from the United States when settlers set fire to at least seven vehicles; he died of smoke inhalation as he attempted to extinguish the blaze.

Since October 2023, attacks on hospitals, medical sites and healthcare workers in the West Bank have rapidly increased, despite direct attacks and the deliberate obstruction of healthcare being considered a violation of international law.

Although international recognition of a Palestinian state has grown, West Bank settlers have continued to push for the expansion of settlements.

Middle East Eye via WAFA, Maghrebi.org