Israeli operations in the West Bank kill six Palestinians within a week of elections

Two Israeli operations killed at least six Palestinians on Tuesday, including a man believed to be the leader of a militia. The action took place in Nablus, an important city in the West Bank, a week away from Israeli elections that could trigger the formation of a new government in the country.

According to the Reuters news agency, Israel fired missiles at the city and mobilized snipers and security agents to fight dozens of armed fighters from the Cove of Lions militia, made up mostly of young Palestinians.

Tel Aviv’s objective was to attack the organization’s explosives production site, but the agents encountered resistance from the local population, who reportedly threw stones at soldiers and set fire to tires in the streets.

The fighting caused the death of Wadi al-Houh, 31, leader of the Den of Lions, accused by Israel of producing homemade bombs and obtaining weapons for the group. The organization has grown rapidly in recent months and is made up mostly of young people from Nablus — according to Palestinian officials, the group has no clearly articulated political goals.

On Sunday, another leader of the organization had died in an explosion associated with Tel Aviv. Two weeks earlier, on the other hand, the Den of the Lions claimed a deadly attack on an Israeli soldier in the West Bank, which triggered Tel Aviv’s tightening of Nablus, with drones constantly hovering over the region.

Mahmoud Al-Aloul, vice president of the Palestinian Fatah faction, told local reporters that Palestinian security forces responded with gunfire on Tuesday as they saw undercover Israeli agents entering Nablus. The clash killed four other Palestinians and injured about 20 people – it is uncertain whether the victims were civilians or members of the faction.

In a nearby province, another man died during a protest. According to AFP, he was shot in the chest by Israeli soldiers, who say they reacted to the man’s alleged attempt to launch an explosive device at forces. Tuesday’s burials of the dead were attended by crowds, including armed fighters.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid confirmed the operations and said his country would continue to target militants in Nablus and other cities. “They have to know that we will find them wherever they are, Israel will never fail to act for their safety and we will do what has to be done,” he said. “The objective is to reduce terrorism and ensure that it does not affect Israeli citizens.”

The hardening of rhetoric, in a way, may be linked to the elections scheduled for the next 1st, when former premier Binyamin Netanyahu can defeat the current government and return to power. Under Bibi, as the former prime minister is known, Tel Aviv further intensified fighting against Palestinian militias and garnered support from Jewish nationalists.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, for his part, called the Israeli operation in Nablus a war crime, according to his spokesman. The radical faction Hamas – considered a terrorist by the US – warned that “the crimes of the Israeli occupation would push Palestine towards an escalation”.

At the same time, Amnesty International called on the International Criminal Court to investigate possible war crimes committed in August by Israeli and Palestinian forces during the escalation of fighting.

More than 100 West Bank Palestinians have been killed this year during Israeli operations. Also in February, Amnesty released a 280-page report accusing Israel of committing apartheid against the Palestinians. At the same time, the UN in June accused Israel of perpetuating conflicts with Palestinians – the document was not well received by Tel Aviv, which called it a waste of public money.