RNA - Palestinian Ashraf Na’alwa, 23, was shot dead during a short exchange of fire when Israeli soldiers tried to arrest him in the Askar al-Jadid refugee camp, east of Nablus City, early on Thursday. He was suspected of gunning down two Israeli settlers in the Barkan industrial zone of the occupied West Bank on October 7.
Israeli bulldozers, guarded by dozens of Israeli troops, raided Na’alwa’s home in the Shweika village in the northern occupied West Bank district of Tulkarem, on predawn Monday and began demolition the structure, triggering clashes with local Palestinians.
According to official Palestinian news agency Wafa, at least three young protesting Palestinians were injured by Israeli-fired rubber bullets.
Palestinian Ma'an news agency, citing unnamed sources, reported that Israeli bulldozers demolished the three-story building before Israeli troops continued to carry out the demolition by hand.
However, Ma’an, citing a spokesperson of the Palestinian Red Crescent, raised the number of injured Palestinians to six, saying two were transferred to hospital for due treatment.
It added that dozens of Palestinians had gathered around Na’alwa’s family home, since late Sunday, in an attempt to prevent the demolition, the order of which was issued by the Israeli military in early November.
Earlier this month, The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority blamed Israel’s illegal settlement activities on occupied Palestinian land for renewed tensions in the West Bank.
The Israeli military regularly opens fatal fire on Palestinians, accusing them of seeking to attack its personnel.
Human rights groups have repeatedly slammed the Tel Aviv regime for its shoot-to-kill policy as a large number of the Palestinians killed at the scene of attacks did not pose any serious threat to Israelis.
Israeli troops have on numerous occasions been caught on camera brutally killing Palestinians, with the videos going viral online and sparking condemnations of the regime’s military.
The Tel Aviv regime regularly demolishes the houses of Palestinians whom it accuses of attacking Israelis.
International rights groups say the policy is an attempt to uproot Palestinians from their homeland, and confiscate more territories for the expansion of illegal settlements.
In recent months, the Israeli regime ordered the demolition of Palestinian homes as a punitive measure in response to a growing number of alleged attacks by Palestinians against Israeli settlers, who constantly waged attacks against Palestinian residents and their properties.
Residents say Israel is relentlessly destroying Palestinians’ homes and livelihoods in order to make way for more illegal settlements.
International bodies and rights groups argue that Israel’s sustained demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds are an attempt by the Tel Aviv regime to uproot Palestinians from their native territories, and confiscate more land for expansion of illegal settlements.
About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
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