A massive Israeli army force stormed the northern West Bank city of Nablus and opened fir at civilians and their homes on Wednesday at dawn. A massive Israeli army force stormed the northern West Bank city of Nablus and opened fir at civilians and their homes on Wednesday at dawn.
The military attack was focused around downtown Nablus and the old city. Witnesses stated that soldiers used sound bombs and opened fire randomly during their house to house searches.
Local resistance fighters managed to target the invading force with two home made bombs, and the Israeli army reported that two of its soldiers were injured and moved to hospital in Israel when their jeep was hit with one of the bombs.
The Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility for targeting the invading force. The city of Nablus is targeted daily by the Israeli army, which invades the city, searches homes and kidnaps civilians and uses them as human shields.
In violation of international law and despite an Israeli high court ruling specifically banning the use of human shields, the Israeli army continues to force Palestinian civilians to walk in front of their military vehicles during military operations. The latest incident of this kind was in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, when Israeli troops forced one of the camp's residents, Mahmoud Ji'arim, to walk with them as they searched the camp for five men on Monday.
Mahmoud said "They attacked and searched our house and forced my family into one room and took my Identity Card. Then, they took me with them to search a nearby house in my street. They made me walk in front of them as a human shield. After they had searched the house they kept me for 30 minutes then gave me back my identity card, and I went back home."
