Israeli forces kill Al-Aqsa member in ongoing Nablus incursion 

Date: 29 / 06 / 2007 Time: 09:33

Nablus - Ma'an - 

A member of the Fateh-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades was killed by Israeli soldiers early on Friday in Nablus city, in the northern West Bank.

Medical sources said that Haitham Saleh, 28, was found dead in the Ad Dahiya area of Nablus after the Israeli forces contacted the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, informing them that they had killed a man there.

The source added that they found the man killed by four bullet wounds in his body; he was transported to Nablus hospital.

Eyewitnesses from Balata refugee camp said that Saleh was travelling in a taxi and the taxi driver refused to stop when he was ordered to do so by the Israeli soldiers. Saleh then managed to jump from the taxi but the soldiers shot him and killed him instantly.

The Israeli forces claim that Saleh was killed when he refused to stop; the Israeli forces then opened fire at him.

The Israeli forces also broke into Balata refugee camp in Nablus in large numbers and imposed a curfew. In the camp, the Israeli forces clashed with members of the Palestinian armed resistance men. The forces also launched a search campaign in the camp.

According to Israeli sources, the Israeli army discovered a bomb-making laboratory, weapons, and 11kg of bomb-making materials in Nablus city. The Israeli army also confirmed that there was an explosion in the city close to the Israeli military force.

The Israeli forces began this current operation in the city of Nablus three days ago; dozens of Palestinian citizens have been arrested and eight Israeli soldiers were reportedly moderately injured on Thursday after explosive devices were hurled at them by Palestinian armed men, affiliated to Fateh.

On Thursday evening, a group calling itself the 'Usoud Al Lail' Brigades ('Lions of the Night') announced that they had also detonated a roadside bomb targeting three Israeli military jeeps. The brigades said that the bomb hit the Israeli jeeps directly and claimed that there were many Israeli casualties.

Numerous Palestinian houses were also transformed into military bases on Thursday and the Israeli forces demolished a number of buildings.

Our Nablus correspondent reported that the Israeli forces detonated the Ratrourt family house, in the old city of Nablus, destroying it and causing the collapse of the adjacent house in which Zuheir As-Safadi, aged 100, was living. He narrowly escaped death.

After one hour, the rescue team arrived and evacuated the man.

The Israeli troops were also monitoring the entrances to local hospitals and issuing orders to the local population through the local radio stations whose frequencies the army occupied.

On Thursday, Dr. Bassem Na'im, the former health minister in Haniyeh's Hamas-led government, condemned the Israeli forces' targeting of medical institutions in Nablus.

In a statement on behalf of the Palestinian Health Department, Na'im said that the Israeli forces were, in addition to controlling the hospital entrances, also stopping ambulances for inspection. He said that some ambulances were completely prevented from transporting wounded and injured Palestinians.

Na'im said that "these cruel practices" are perpetrated deliberately, in order to make the Palestinians surrender.

**updated 11:15; 29 June 07

 

---

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.