Israeli forces conducted a raid in the West Bank town of Qabatiya, resulting in the deaths of at least seven Palestinians. The military action involved soldiers pushing what appeared to be dead bodies off a rooftop, captured in video footage that has caused outrage. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the incident as a “crime” and an act of “brutality” by the Israeli army.
Mustafa Barghouti of the Palestinian National Initiative condemned the soldiers’ behavior as “absolutely savage and inhuman.” The Israeli military claimed to have killed four Palestinian gunmen during the clashes but acknowledged the video evidence of the abuses. They stated that the incident is under review and not in line with their values or expectations of soldiers.
The attack on Qabatiya also resulted in the deaths of two young men in a vehicle bombing, injuries to eleven others, and the barricading of around 1,000 children in schools due to the ongoing raids. The town remained under siege into the night, with employees of the Education Directorate unable to leave their building.
This raid in Qabatiya follows a deadly assault on cities in the West Bank less than a month ago and is part of a pattern of violence in the region. Palestinians have been killed in significant numbers, with more than 600 deaths in the West Bank this year alone, making it the deadliest year in the region since the UN began tracking casualties in 2005. The ongoing conflict has raised concerns about the treatment of bodies and civilian populations in the area.
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