Description

Photos:
Scene. Published by IMEMC News

A bullet-riddled car belonging to three Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, Nablus, West Bank, February 2022. Credit: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP. Photo By Asad Salameh Published by IMEMC News and Haaretz

Israel Border Police handout of the raid in Nablus. Credit: Police Spokesperson Published by Haaretz

Al-Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, which controls the West Bank, said the three killed were its members. File? Published by Haaretz

Three Killed in Nablus: Ashraf Mohammad Abdul-Fattah Mobaslat, 21, Mohammad Raed Hussein Dakheel, 22, and Adham Jamal Abdul-Rahim Mabrouka, 26. Published by IMEMC News
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by IMEMC News
Feb 9, 2022

Israeli forces assassinated, on Tuesday afternoon, three Palestinian young men and detained another in the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to local sources.

Eyewitnesses stated that an Israeli special forces unit opened heavy live fire at a civilian vehicle in the Al-Makhfiyya neighborhood in Nablus, killing three young men and detaining a fourth.

The Ministry of Health has officially confirmed the identities of the three young as:

Ashraf Mohammad Abdul-Fattah Mobaslat, 21, from the al-Makhfiyya neighborhood in Nablus.
Mohammad Raed Hussein Dakheel, 22, from the al-Makhfiyya neighborhood in Nablus.
Adham Jamal Abdul-Rahim Mabrouka, 26, from the al-Makhfiyya neighborhood in Nablus.

The Israeli military claimed the slain young men were part of a resistance cell allegedly responsible for recent shootings targeting army posts in Nablus.

Quds News Network (QNN) reported that the Israeli Special Forces Unit of Yamam, involving more than fifteen soldiers, driving civilian vehicles, shot at least eighty rounds at the Palestinians in their car, before leaving the scene.

A fourth Palestinian was in the car and was shot by undercover Israeli soldiers before they abducted him and took him to an unknown destination.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health described the operation as an assassination, and the Foreign Ministry called it a “field execution”.

Thousands of Palestinians, including armed resistance fighters, participated in the massive funeral procession in Nablus.

First Published on: Feb 8, 2022, at 17:13
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Israel Kills Three Palestinian Militants in Nablus Suspected of West Bank Shootings

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirms three deaths, calling the Israeli operation 'an assassination'

by Jack Khoury, Yaniv Kubovich, and Hagar Shezaf for Haaretz
Feb. 8, 2022 1:59 PM

Israeli forces killed three Palestinian gunmen on Tuesday in Nablus, accusing them of several shooting attacks targeting military forces and Israeli civilians in the West Bank over the past weeks.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the three deaths, calling the Israeli operation "an assassination." The Foreign Ministry described it as a "field execution."

The Al-Aqsa Brigades, Fatah's military wing which controls the West Bank, said the three men were its members, identified as Ashraf al-Mubaslat, Adham Mabrukeh and Mohammed al-Dakheel.

The militant group said the three men are “heroic martyrs” and vowed revenge in a statement circulated on a Fatah-affiliated social media group.

Rival Palestinian group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, urged its followers to "take out their anger and frustration at the Zionist enemy."

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that a fourth person was in the car, and was arrested by the Israeli forces.

The Israeli statement said the three Palestinians were shot while in their car after they "tried to open fire," and that they were in possession of two M-16 rifles.

Ahead of the funeral later on Tuesday, armed men gathered in the city center, calling for revenge against Israel for the attack.

No casualties were reported among Israeli Police and military forces.

An Israeli defense official said the cell was a renegade group that recently splintered from Fatah.

Members of the cell are thought to be responsible for a number of shooting attacks in recent weeks, including two incidents in which shots were fired at an Israeli army position at an entrance to Nablus. Neither shooting resulted in casualties. One of them took place on Wednesday of last week when shots were fired from a car.

On January 30, shots were fired at an army vehicle near the village of Tell, just outside Nablus, a week after the cell is also thought to have fired at an army position at an entrance to Nablus.

Witnesses told Haaretz that the Israeli force fired many rounds at the three men, who were in their car in the city's western al-Makhafiya neighborhood. "It was an assassination, without a doubt," said one of the witnesses.

"A special Israeli force operated quickly, killing the three on the spot and leaving the area in a civilian car," he added.

A local resident told Haaretz: "It was very cruel, and the number of shots made it clear the target was to kill them, rather than hurt or detain them."

Israel's Prime Minister said: "Our forces have proven once again that there is no immunity to terrorists. Those who hurt us will be hurt."

Defense Minister Benny Gantz applauded the IDF for "eliminating the terrorist cell that carried out shooting attacks in recent weeks."

Following the operation, an Israeli taxi that had entered Nablus was attacked with stones before escaping.

A number of stabbing and shooting attacks by Palestinians in the West Bank have targeted Israeli settlers in recent week. One settler was shot dead near a settlement outpost in December.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report