Nablus: 80 Military Vehicles Storm Eastern Area to Secure Settlers' Raid on Joseph's Tomb

Israeli occupation forces stormed the eastern area of Nablus city in the northern occupied West Bank early Thursday morning, utilizing massive military reinforcements estimated at about 80 vehicles and military bulldozers. This extensive military movement aimed to provide protection for groups of settlers intending to raid Joseph's Tomb to perform Talmudic rituals, a recurring action that consistently sparks significant field tensions.

Field sources reported that occupation vehicles were heavily deployed in the streets surrounding the tomb, where military bulldozers began closing main and secondary roads with earth mounds to isolate the area from its surroundings. This was accompanied by occupation snipers taking positions on the rooftops of high-rise buildings overlooking the eastern area, to secure the settlers' movement routes and prevent Palestinian citizens from accessing the site.

Following the raid, violent confrontations erupted between dozens of Palestinian youths and occupation forces, who fired a barrage of live ammunition and tear gas canisters. The youths attempted to confront the invading vehicles with stones and Molotov cocktails, while the confrontations continued into the late hours of the night amidst an atmosphere of extreme tension that hung over the eastern neighborhoods of Nablus.

Reports indicate that occupation forces practiced a systematic policy of intimidation against residents of homes near Joseph's Tomb, where some families were forced to evacuate their homes at gunpoint. These repressive measures come as part of a security protocol imposed by the army to secure the settlers, causing panic among children and women and damaging citizens' private property.

Settlers cling to historical claims about the tomb, asserting that it contains the remains of Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him), claims denied by historical and archaeological studies which confirm that the site is an Islamic antiquity registered as an endowment. Palestinians view these repeated raids as an attempt to impose a new settlement reality and entrench Israeli control over religious and heritage sites in the heart of Palestinian cities.

Since the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, Joseph's Tomb has officially been under the sovereignty of the Palestinian Authority, yet the occupation army continues to violate this sovereignty by organizing periodic night raids. These military operations are considered a breach of signed agreements, as the area is transformed each time into a closed military barracks where normal life ceases and traffic and work are disrupted.

National and Islamic forces in Nablus affirm that the continuation of these raids will not change the city's identity, emphasizing that popular resistance will continue to confront Judaization projects. These events coincide with an escalation in the pace of raids and arrests carried out by occupation forces in various West Bank cities, warning of a broader explosion of field conditions in the absence of any political horizon.

Occupation forces stormed the eastern area of Nablus city, accompanied by more than 80 vehicles and bulldozers, to secure the settlers' raid on Joseph's Tomb.