The occupied West Bank, this Sunday, recorded a new wave of bloody field escalation due to attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settlers. These violations resulted in the martyrdom of an infant and a child, and the injury of a number of citizens with varying degrees of wounds, amid the continued policy of restriction and siege imposed on Palestinian villages and camps.
In a tragic crime, medical sources announced the martyrdom of infant Ahmed Maarouf Zeid, who was not more than four months old, as a result of obstruction of his access to the hospital. The sources explained that the occupation forces stationed at a military checkpoint at the entrance to Deir Ammar village, west of Ramallah, prevented the infant's family from passing for more than an hour despite his deteriorating health condition.
Laila Ghannam, Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, confirmed that doctors at the Arab Specialized Hospital announced the infant's death immediately upon his arrival, affected by the delay in treatment. Ghannam pointed out that the occupation soldiers not only prevented the family from passing but also fired tear gas canisters at vehicles and citizens present in the vicinity of the military checkpoint.
Ghannam stressed that the martyrdom of child Ahmed, who was the family's only male child, represents one aspect of the daily suffering imposed by the military checkpoint system. She considered that these measures are directly aimed at depriving Palestinians of access to medical centers, turning checkpoints into death points that threaten the lives of patients and emergency cases.
In occupied Jerusalem, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported the martyrdom of a child and the injury of two others by occupation forces' bullets during a violent raid on Qalandia camp. Local sources stated that clashes erupted after occupation vehicles stormed the camp, where soldiers fired live and rubber bullets heavily at youths and young men.
Also, a Palestinian young man was injured by live bullets in the thigh area during the same clashes in Qalandia camp, and ambulance crews transported him to the hospital for treatment. This coincided with an arrest campaign that targeted three young men from the neighboring town of Kafr Aqab, after raiding and searching their homes and tampering with their contents amidst the firing of gas canisters.
Regarding settler attacks, the area south of Nablus witnessed a violent attack targeting a vital economic facility serving university students. Settlers stormed a restaurant located near Al-Zaytouna University between the towns of Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya and Ammuriya, vandalized its contents, stole money, and then completely set it on fire.
Field sources reported that the fire completely destroyed the restaurant, with material losses estimated at about one million shekels, equivalent to 300,000 US dollars. Eyewitnesses confirmed that this attack took place under the direct protection of occupation forces who were present at the scene and did nothing to prevent the settlers from carrying out their crime.
In the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, armed settlers accompanied by herds of livestock attempted to storm the northern neighborhoods of the town. Clashes erupted between residents and settlers, where citizens, with their bare chests, managed to confront the attackers and force them to retreat away from the threatened homes of citizens.
These attacks in Sinjil come after the occupation authorities' decision to seize more than 464 dunams of the town's land and convert it into so-called 'state land'. The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission warned that these confiscations aim to expand the surrounding settlement outposts and stifle Palestinian urban expansion in the area.
In East Jerusalem, settlers continued their provocative practices in the Al-Kaabneh – Al-Kassarat cluster near Anata town, by releasing their sheep among citizens' homes. Local activists described this behavior as an attempt to pressure Bedouin residents to forcibly displace them from their lands for the benefit of pastoral settlement projects.
As for Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, settlers stormed the vicinity of a Palestinian home in the Sha'ab al-Butm area and carried out provocative acts against family members. Local sources reported that the settlers cut the electricity lines feeding the house, in a move aimed at intimidating residents and forcing them to leave their homes in areas classified as 'C'.
Official data indicate that the West Bank has been in a state of continuous turmoil since October 8, 2023, due to the integrated roles of the army and settlers. This systematic policy has led to the martyrdom of hundreds and the injury of thousands, as well as widespread destruction of infrastructure and private and public property.
According to the latest statistics issued by Palestinian authorities, the number of martyrs in the West Bank since that date has risen to 1,175, while the number of injured has exceeded 12,000. The number of arrests has also reached about 24,000 cases, amid harsh conditions experienced by Palestinians due to the forced displacement that has affected thousands of families.
What happened to child Ahmed Zeid, who was his family's only male child, comes in the context of the policy of closures and military checkpoints that deprive Palestinians of their right to treatment.
شارك برأيك
Bloody escalation in the West Bank: Infant and child martyred by occupation and settler bullets and attacks