The occupied territories have witnessed a fresh bout of tensions ever since the Israeli forces introduced restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds in August 2015. While the Palestinians accuse the Israelis of indiscriminate use of rubber bullets and live ammunition, the Israeli military insists soldiers fired only at lower extremities in order to subdue and not kill.
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The invasion into the refugee camp, and several nearby areas was initiated by the army earlier on Tuesday, when the soldiers injured seven Palestinians and kidnapped one.
An Israeli army statement did not confirm or deny the killing but said its army was confronted with protests where “dozens of Palestinians hurled blocks and rocks at the forces”.
Like all refugee camps in the occupied territories, it is now a separate town with proper buildings and public services provided by UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
The closure of the camp entrance put “a great burden on residents and caused a lot of anger and frustration”, B’Tselem stated.
In a related development Tuesday, Israeli bulldozers razed eight Palestinian tinplate houses in the town of Seir north of Hebron, claiming they were built without permission, according to local residents.
Twenty more Palestinians lost their homes during a demolition near Bethlehem as well.
In January, Israel announced the arrest of a five-member cell based in Tulkarem in the West Bank, recruited online by Jawad Nasrallah, son of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
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The clashes followed an operation by the Israeli security forces in the camp, searching for wanted Palestinians who allegedly planned attacks against Israel, according to Israel Radio.
