At approximately 10 a.m. today, February 22, the Israeli army launched a massive invasion of the Old City of Nablus. Initial reports from local journalists reported that the army had surrounded a house harboring two Palestinian resistance fighters from the Lions’ Den resistance group. By 12:38 p.m., reports streamed in that the two resistance fighters had been assassinated.
The invasion began with a commando raid by an Israeli special operations unit, which targeted the resistance fighters holed up in a house in the heart of the Old City. At the same time, large numbers of Israeli military forces invaded the Old City and city center, spreading out and firing indiscriminately at Palestinians in the area. Eyewitnesses and local journalists reported heavy Israeli gunfire, as the army fired live ammunition on crowds of Palestinians and fired tear gas canisters.
Clashes broke out throughout the city as local youth flooded the streets to face off against the invading military force with stones.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH), 10 Palestinians were killed during the raid, including the two resistance fighters, while 102 Palestinians were injured, many of them remaining in critical condition.
The Palestinian martyrs include an elderly man, Hussam Sabe B’ara, 72, Tamer Nimr Ahmad Minawi, 14, Muhammad Khaled Anbusi, 25, Musab Munir Muhammad Oweis, 26, Walid Riyad Hussein Dakhil, 23, Abdul Hadi Abdul Aziz Ashqar, 61, Muhammad Farid Sha’ban, 16, and the two resistance fighters in the surrounded house, Hussam Bassam Isleem, 24, and Muhammad Omar Abu Bakr Juneidi, 23, and Jasser Jamil Abdul Wahhab Qan’ir, 23.
As of 12:04 p.m., the two resistance fighters were still surrounded by the Israeli army, before initial reports began to stream in that the army had assassinated them. By 12:38 p.m., local journalists reported that the Israeli army had begun its retreat from the city, while local residents went into the house that had been surrounded and retrieved the bodies of the slain fighters.
Final wills of resistance fighters
Voice recordings of the “final will” of the surrounded resistance fighters have circulated on social media, widely reported to be Hussam Isleem and Muhammad Juneidi. The resistance fighters are reportedly affiliated with the Nablus-based Lions’ Den group, and the recording features the voice of Hussam Isleem as he is surrounded by the Israeli army:
“I will not hand myself in. My brother [Muhammad Juneidi] and I are surrounded […] May God never forgive every coward who sold us out. My brother Juneidi and I will be greeting all the martyrs. I just wish that you will forgive us, my brothers. Please forgive us. I love our people, I love everyone, and I love my mother. On your honor, don’t let go of the rifle after we’re gone. Keep on the path. I want to see men continuing [our path] after us. Don’t forget the final will of al-Wadee [referring to Wadee al-Hawah] and [Ibrahim] al-Nabulsi…[Juneidi speaks in background]…listen to Juneidi’s will…”
At 11:54 a.m., the Telegram account of the Nablus Brigade, a local Nablus branch of the Islamic Jihad’s armed wing and itself closely affiliated with the Lions’ Den group, published a live recording of Muhammad “Abu Bakr” Juneidi as he continued to be surrounded by the army:
“Know that the son of the Saraya, the son of your organization […] remains surrounded to this moment and will not give himself up. I salute every free and honorable person in this homeland…your brother, Muhammad Abu Bakr Juneidi…we are surrounded, I and Hussam Isleem. Pray for us, and rest assured that we have continued on the path of martyrs, we did not retreat, and we remained men.”
Take note of Hussam Isleem’s quote: “My brother [Muhammad Juneidi] and I are surrounded […] May God never forgive every coward who sold us out.”
No lack of those. In cooperation with the highly competent Hussein Al-Sheikh — Mahmoud Abbas’ anointed successor — Israel has registered every last Palestinian man, woman and child in Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah and other ‘Area A’ cities. IOF know their names, addresses and mobile numbers, and likely has facial recognition data on them. I’m sure half of them are providing information to the IDF or the IDF’s Palestinian security forces. Perhaps more. Aside from their obvious incompetence with automatic weapons, Palestinian freedom fighters are inevitably turned in by their own sisters and brothers. IOF know exactly where they are and what they’re planning.
Nothing depresses me more than this. Mondoweiss should report on this, if it dares.
Anyway you look at it.
“Then there is the embarrassing detail that 11 people were killed, not just the three suspects. The other 8 are mere collateral damage of the raid. Then there are over a hundred wounded, some critically.
See, that’s also a war crime. In order to get at a handful of suspects, you can’t recklessly endanger the lives of innocent civilians.”
And
“These would be war crimes in any case, but they are exacerbated by Israel’s legal position as the occupying power in the Palestinian West Bank, which means that their actions are governed by the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Rome Statute finalized in 2002. They have a special charge to safeguard the lives, property and ways of life of the occupied population. Going after resistance fighters is not forbidden, but rampaging around shooting people as the Israelis did on Wednesday is strictly forbidden.”
https://www.juancole.com/2023/02/occupied-condemns-occupation.html
Proudly going down an unlit path with heart and courage… to what end?