Fierce confrontations erupted at dawn on Sunday between Palestinian resistance forces and the Israeli occupation troops in the town of Meithalun, south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, following a raid by the Israeli army into the town and a wider arrest campaign that covered other towns across the West Bank. Additionally, the Israeli forces demolished the homes of two martyrs who carried out a tunnel operation in November of the previous year.
Palestinian media sources reported that resistance fighters fired gunshots and homemade explosives known as “pipe bombs” towards the invading Israeli forces in Meithalun. They also detonated explosive devices targeting Israeli military vehicles, while the occupation soldiers responded with tear gas and sound grenades, with no reported injuries.
Israeli forces also raided the town of Aarura northwest of Ramallah and the city of Nablus, arresting a number of Palestinians after storming and searching their homes.
The Israeli military conducted on-the-spot interrogations of some Palestinians following a raid in the village of Marda north of Salfit and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported in the town.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank and patrolled its streets.
Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance fighters shot at the Dottan military checkpoint near Jenin in the West Bank.
The Al Jazeera correspondent reported that Israeli forces also entered “the traffic department” in Hebron in the West Bank and closed all entrances leading to the area.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, the total number of arrests in the West Bank has reached 6,155 since the 7th of October last year.
The moment of the occupation’s demolition of the house of the martyr tunnel operation executor Nasrallah Qawasmi in Hebron
— Shehab News Agency (@ShehabAgency) January 21, 2024
Demolition of Two Houses
In Hebron as well, Al Jazeera’s correspondent Munther Nassar reported that Israeli occupation forces blew up the house of martyr Qassam member Nasrallah Qawasmi in the city of Hebron, southern West Bank, in addition to demolishing the house of his brother, fellow Qassam martyr Abd al-Qader Qawasmi.
The Israeli military demolished the two homes after forcing the residents of the area to evacuate their houses.
The two martyrs had carried out an operation at the Tunnel military checkpoint south of Jerusalem on the 16th of November last year, resulting in the death of an Israeli soldier and the wounding of 7 Israelis with varying degrees of injuries.
