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| Palestinian firefighters diligently remove blood stains from the location where two Palestinian fighters lost their lives during an Israeli army operation in the Balata refugee camp, situated in the city of Nablus in the West Bank. This photograph was taken on May 13, 2023, and the credit goes to AP/Majdi Mohammed. |
According to Al-Jazeera, two Palestinians were fatally shot and three others were injured by Israeli forces during a raid in the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on May 13.
The incident occurred in the Balata refugee camp, where the Palestinian Health Ministry identified the victims as Adnan Wasim Yousef al-Araj, 19, and Saed Jihad Shaker Mashah, 32, both of whom were shot in the head. Among the wounded was a Palestinian woman in her 50s who sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
No immediate reports of Israeli casualties were available, and the Israeli military did not release a statement regarding the incident. This raid is part of a series of military incursions by Israel into Nablus in recent months, coinciding with ongoing Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip aimed at targeting leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) resistance group. In response, the PIJ has launched multiple rocket barrages into Israel.
According to The Times of Israel, images circulating online depicted Araj holding an assault rifle, suggesting possible affiliation with a local resistance group. However, no specific group has claimed responsibility for Araj and Mashah. Disturbing footage shared online showed the two men lying on the ground covered in blood, suggesting they were executed at close range or simultaneously targeted by snipers.
Violence in Nablus has escalated since the beginning of the year, with frequent Israeli military raids in the West Bank and an increase in stabbing and shooting attacks by Palestinian militants against Israelis.
On May 9, Israeli troops faced strong resistance during an arrest raid in Nablus' Old City and were ultimately forced to withdraw. Lions' Den fighters and the PIJ's Nablus Brigade engaged the troops with live ammunition. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the chest by Israeli forces, but his injuries were stable, and no other casualties were reported.
Israeli media reported that during the raid, one wanted Palestinian individual was arrested, and two assault rifles were seized from his residence. Another suspect was detained nearby. As Israeli forces withdrew from Nablus' Old City, Lions' Den fighters detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) that directly targeted an Israeli military vehicle.