Palestinian officials reported that after Israeli security forces attacked the flashpoint city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank early on Tuesday, one of the worst firefights in recent weeks resulted in the martyrdom of five Palestinians, and another was killed later.
In the wake of the operation, which the Israeli military claimed was intended to target an explosives manufacturing facility of the militant group “Den of Lions,” shop owners worked to clear the wreckage from the Old City of Nablus’ cobblestone streets.
Numerous Palestinians attacked the troops with rocks and torched tyres throughout the operation. The armed suspects who were firing at the troops were met with live fire by the troops.The “Den of Lions,” a gang of Nablus gunmen with hazy factional ties that has gotten bigger over the past year, was linked to two of the dead.
In a separate altercation close to the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh near Ramallah, a sixth guy lost his life.In Nablus, which has been the scene of violent battles in recent months, Palestinian health officials reported that at least 20 individuals, including some gunmen and members of the Palestinian security forces, had been injured.
More than 100 West Bank-based Palestinians have been slain this year, the majority since late March as a result of a crackdown that came after a series of deadly street attacks by Palestinians in Israel that left 19 people dead.
An Israeli military officer reported that four members of Israel’s security personnel have died since that time, at least one of them was allegedly killed by the Den of Lions. Tamer Kilani, a senior member of the Den of Lions, was murdered overnight on Sunday in what the Palestinians claimed was an Israeli attack using a targeted bomb.
