8 Martyrs in Gaza and West Bank, Hamas Calls for Escalation of Resistance to Deter Settler Attacks

The Palestinian territories witnessed another bloody day, resulting in the martyrdom of eight individuals in various areas. A young Palestinian man was martyred on Saturday evening by armed settlers during an attack on the village of Deir Jarir in Ramallah. The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that Ali Hamadneh, 23, died after being shot in the back and chest while confronting the settlers.\n\nLocal sources in Deir Jarir village reported that groups of settlers stormed the western entrance of the village under heavy protection from Israeli occupation forces, who provided them with security cover. The settlers fired live ammunition indiscriminately at citizens and their properties, leading to severe tension and confrontations in the area.\n\nIn a related context of attacks in the West Bank, a Palestinian child was injured and suffered from suffocation after an attack by settlers in the Khalayel al-Louz area southeast of Bethlehem. Security sources stated that the settlers used pepper spray in their attack on citizens, necessitating on-site first aid for the injured.\n\nFor its part, Hamas condemned the escalation of settler crimes in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, describing them as part of ongoing Judaization schemes. The movement called on Palestinian youth to utilize all available means of resistance to deter these attacks and make the settlers pay for their brutal crimes targeting the Palestinian presence on the land.\n\nOfficial statistics indicate that the number of martyrs in the West Bank has risen to at least 1,148 since early October 2023, amid an unprecedented Israeli escalation. The number of injuries has reached approximately 11,750, while arrests have exceeded 22,000 in various cities and camps in the West Bank.\n\nAccording to data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, settlers carried out more than 443 attacks in just one month, including shootings and property arson. These systematic attacks resulted in the martyrdom of 9 Palestinians and the destruction of vast agricultural lands, in an attempt to establish new settlement outposts by force of arms.\n\nIn the Gaza Strip, occupation forces committed a new massacre early Saturday morning, targeting a gathering of civilians in Al-Bureij camp in the central Strip. The Israeli airstrike resulted in the martyrdom of 6 citizens and varying injuries to others, continuing the policy of targeting densely populated residential areas.\n\nIn another field development, a seventh Palestinian was martyred following an airstrike carried out by occupation aircraft on the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. These raids come amid ongoing military operations targeting infrastructure and inhabited homes, daily increasing the toll of civilian casualties.\n\nOn the political front, Hamas demanded that the Israeli occupation be compelled to implement the first phase of the previously concluded ceasefire agreement. The movement considered that the continuation of raids and massacres in Gaza represents an "extension of the war of extermination" and a clear disregard for the efforts of international mediators and the guarantor states of the agreement.\n\nMovement spokesman Hazem Qassem stated that the crime in Al-Bureij camp proves the legitimacy of the resistance's demands to stop Israeli violations before moving to any other stages. Qassem clarified that Israel disregards all international calls to stop the genocide operations and adhere to the announced de-escalation requirements.\n\nFor its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the Al-Bureij massacre and called on the international community to act immediately to provide international protection for the Palestinian people. The ministry stressed in its statement the necessity of imposing deterrent sanctions on the occupation authorities and activating international accountability mechanisms to prosecute those who commit ethnic cleansing crimes.\n\nAccording to the latest updates from the Ministry of Health, Israeli violations of last October's agreement have so far led to the martyrdom of 749 Palestinians and the injury of more than two thousand others. These figures reflect the extent of ongoing violations by the occupation army despite understandings reached under regional and international sponsorship.\n\nIn contrast, the Israeli occupation army admitted on Saturday evening that one of its soldiers was seriously injured during what it described as an "operational incident" in the central Gaza Strip. The army did not provide further details about the nature of the incident, at a time when intermittent clashes continue in several axes of the besieged Strip.\n\nThis crime confirms the legitimacy of the resistance forces' demand that the Israeli enemy be compelled to implement the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and stop its violations.