Despite the upcoming Gaza ceasefire, the situation in the Westbank is still escalating
Palestinian shot as Israeli forces storm towns, villages across occupied West Bank
More Israeli military raids have taken place across the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency and local media report, including:
- A 31-year-old Palestinian man was shot and injured by Israeli forces following a military raid on Sebastia village, north of Nablus.
- Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes in the town of Aqraba, south of Nablus.
- Raids were also carried out in the city of Tulkarem.
- Israeli forces stormed the town of Idhna, west of Hebron.
- The Israeli military has blocked the entrance to the town of al-Manshiyya, south of Bethlehem.
Palestinian Authority makes deal with Jenin Battalion: Report
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has reached an agreement with the Jenin Battalion to end fighting with the Palestinian resistance group in the occupied West Bank, The Times of Israel reports, citing an anonymous Palestinian official. Engineering and civil defence crews will begin dismantling explosives planted around the camp and beneath its streets by the resistance group, according to reports.
PA security forces have spent weeks cracking down on the Jenin Battalion, made up of fighters affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in the city of Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp. The operation, named “Operation Protect the Homeland”, is focused on wresting control of the area from the battalion’s fighters, which the PA has described as “outlaws”.
PA security forces have besieged the camp, cutting off water and electricity, and arresting scores of people. At least 15 people have also been killed in the skirmishes, including six PA security officers, one Palestinian fighter and eight civilians. We reported on Tuesday that the Jenin Battalion announced it had agreed to a truce to “end the bloodshed and preserve the Palestinian national fabric” while preserving the “legitimate right to resist the criminal occupation”.
Those earlier talks reportedly broke down following Israeli air strikes in the Jenin camp this week that killed 12 people, The Times of Israel reports, citing two Palestinian officials.
As part of the deal, the PA has also agreed that wanted individuals from the Jenin Battalion who voluntarily surrender themselves will be guaranteed a fair trial, according to Israeli news outlet Haaretz. Those who choose not to surrender will be classified as wanted, and efforts will be made to locate them, the Haaretz report added.
A commission of inquiry will also be established to investigate civilian deaths in the camp over recent weeks, and anyone proven to be culpable will be tried.
Israeli forces storm occupied West Bank’s Hebron city, Idhna town: Report
Israeli forces have stormed several neighbourhoods in Hebron city, including Jabal al-Rahma, the Ashabi area and Nimra, according to security sources cited by the Wafa news agency.
They also stormed the town of Idhna, west of Hebron, raided dozens of homes, detained a large number of citizens, and turned one of the homes into a field investigation centre, before releasing the residents, the report said.
Israeli forces storm towns, villages near occupied West Bank’s Ramallah: Report
Israeli forces have stormed the villages of Aboud, Nabi Saleh, Beit Rima, Kafr Ein, Qarawat Bani Zeid, Kober, and Deir Ghassaneh northwest of the city of Ramallah, and Silwad and al-Mughayyir to the east.
That’s according to security sources quoted by the Wafa news agency. There were no reports of arrests or clashes.
Israeli forces arrest woman near Hebron to pressure husband into surrendering: Report
Israeli forces have carried out a series of raids near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, briefly detaining and interrogating several young men. They also arrested a woman whose husband, a civil defence officer, they are pursuing, according to the Wafa news agency.
The arrest, which took place in the town of Dura, was an attempt to pressure her husband into surrendering to Israeli forces, Wafa reported.
And will Israel actually withdraw from Lebanon by the 26th? Next Sunday, a week into the Gaza truce.
Lebanon’s Aoun urges Israeli withdrawal from south under truce deal
Joseph Aoun, the new Lebanese president, has held a meeting with UN chief Antonio Guterres during which he stressed the urgency of Israeli forces’ withdrawal from south Lebanon under the terms of November’s ceasefire, according to a statement from the presidency.
“The continued Israeli violations on land and in the air, especially in terms of blowing up houses and destroying border villages, completely contradicts what was stated in the ceasefire agreement and is considered a continuation of the violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the will of the international community,” Aoun’s office said after his meeting with Guterres.
The UN secretary-general has said he will “exert utmost efforts” to ensure the “secure” withdrawal of the forces within the January 26 deadline set by the agreement reached on November 27.
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