Key Developments (September 19-21)
Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in on Tuesday, September 19th in the West Bank and Gaza. The Israeli military raided the Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday evening, sparking armed confrontations with local resistance groups. Four Palestinians in the Jenin camp were killed, including one minor, according to Defense for Children International Palestine. Two of the martyrs were killed by live ammunition, while the other two were assassinated using a “suicide drone.” The target of the raid was reportedly Muhammad Abu Albahaa, a Fatah-affiliated fighter in the camp. Israeli forces surrounded his home and bombarded it with live fire and anti-tank missiles. Albahaa was not apprehended, but Israeli forces reportedly arrested his father, and have allegedly been sending threats to Albahaa’s family in attempts to pressure the fighter to surrender. Notably, Israeli forces also sustained damages after their military convoy was targeted with an IED planted by Palestinian resistance group. The use of IEDs has become a common tactic used by Palestinian resistance groups in the Jenin area. Outside of Jenin, one Palestinian was killed in Jericho’s Aqbat Jaber refugee camp, and another was killed in the Gaza Strip during protests along the Israeli border fence that surrounds the strip.
One hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner ended his strike on Wednesday, September 20th after successfully securing a release date by Israeli authorities. Sultan Khallouf was on hunger strike for 49 days in protest against being placed in administrative detention, a policy used by Israel to indefinitely imprison Palestinians without charge or trial. According to Palestinian media reports, Khallouf will be released on December 2nd, 2023. With the end of Khallouf’s strike, one Palestinian administrative detainee remains on hunger strike, Kayed al-Fasfous, who has been on hunger strike for 50 days as of September 21. On Wednesday Israeli courts rejected an appeal by Fasfous against his detention. Fasfous is a 34-year-old husband and father of one daughter, who, in 2021, underwent a 131-day hunger strike in protest of his administrative detention at the time. It is common for Palestinian prisoners to spend years, on and off, in and out of administrative detention, as Israel frequently re-arrests prisoners deemed as political or “security threats” and puts them under administrative detention when there is no concrete evidence against them.
A number of Palestinian resistance operations and Israeli military raids were reported overnight between Wednesday and Thursday across the West Bank. Early in the morning Thursday, around 2am, the Tulkarem Brigade, which operates under the banner of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), released a statement claiming responsibility for firing towards the Avni Hefetz settlement, and for targeting an Israeli checkpoint near the Taybeh checkpoint in the northwestern West Bank a few hours prior. “We renew our pledge and promise to defend our city and our steadfast camps, no matter the sacrifices required,” the brigade said in the statement. Armed confrontations were also reported in the northern West Bank cities of Nablus and Tubas, following raids on the cities by Israeli army forces. In Tubas Israeli forces were reportedly after a wanted Palestinian fighter, but failed to arrest him after forces came under heavy fire from resistance fighters in Tubas. Following the raid, the “Tubas Brigade”, also affiliated with PIJ, released a statement saying that it used IEDs to target Israeli military convoys as they were raiding the city. The brigade also claimed responsibility for shooting operations targeting an Israeli military checkpoint and tower in the Tubas area later that morning. “Our jihad continues, and our weapons are legitimate in all arenas” the statement concluded.
Important figures:
- At least 240 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the start of the year, with the vast majority killed in the West Bank.
- 5,100 Palestinian political prisoners are currently being held in Israeli jails, including 1,200 administrative detainees.
