Israeli forces wound eight Palestinians in Jenin, block roads in Ramallah after two shooting attacks

Eight Palestinians were wounded, one in critical condition, while two other Palestinians were arrested on Monday by Israeli forces in a military raid into the Palestinian town of Qabatiya, south of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
 
"The Israeli forces raided the town at around 6:00 am, just as people were getting ready for the first day of school," Mohammad Habash, local secretary of Fatah in Qabatiya, told The New Arab.
 
"The soldiers were confronted by gunmen who exchanged fire with them as they besieged the house of a young man, Alaa Zakarneh. Zakarneh was then arrested after exchanging fire with Israeli soldiers," Habash said.

Israeli occupation forces injured on Monday 9 Palestinian young men with live bullets, during a military incursion into Qabatiya town in Jenin city, occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/ioWFFZlUIW

— DAYS OF PALESTINEᅠ (@DaysOfPal) August 29, 2022

"The situation in Qabatiya was relatively calm in the previous days, but now the atmosphere is tense again. People expect new Israeli raids at any time," he added. "Even though daily life mostly went back to normal after the Israeli forces withdrew, the first day of class at local schools were interrupted."

Israeli media quoted the Israeli army claiming that their troops came under Palestinian fire while raiding Qabatiya and they returned fire without suffering casualties.

Breaking|| Israeli occupation forces detained the Palestinian young man, Alaa Zakarna, after being shot and injured during a military raid into Qabatiya town in Jenin, occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/NSym4yYQkd

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) August 29, 2022

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's armed wing identified Zakarneh as one of its members in a statement, adding that he was arrested after he ran out of ammunition in a gunbattle with the Israelis that lasted an hour and a half.
 
Meanwhile, Israeli forces raided the northern West Bank city of Nablus following a shooting attack against Israeli forces near the village of Tell, near the city.
 
"Israeli forces raided two neighbourhoods of the city at dawn," Ameen Abu Wardeh, a Palestinian journalist and resident of Nablus, told The New Arab.

A picture of the occupation forces besieging the house of the "Zakarna" family in the town of Qabatiya, south of #Jenin, and the clashes are still going on. pic.twitter.com/zkrluuxbJN

— Palestine News 24/7 (@PaliNewsBot) August 29, 2022

"There were no new clashes or casualties reported in the city, but Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians before withdrawing," Abu Wardeh added.
 
In the central West Bank, Israeli forces renewed the closure of the Palestinian town of Silwad, east of Ramallah, following another shooting attack against Israeli troops late on Wednesday night near the town.
 
The town's entrances had been closed by Israeli forces for four days following an earlier shooting nearby at an Israeli settlers' bus last week.

Armed clashes between resistance fighters and the occupation forces near Silwad village, Ramallah pic.twitter.com/B7S1SUmtN2

— Huso_2.0 🇵🇸 ( Amir al-Khalil ) (@Mister_HSA) August 28, 2022

"Israeli forces blocked the western entrance of Silwad with dirt mounts and the eastern entrance with a checkpoint," Raed Hammad, Silwad's mayor, told The New Arab.
 
"After the Israeli army opened the checkpoint at the eastern entrance, we removed the dirt mounts at the western one, and traffic went back to normal for some three days," Hammad said.
 
"Early on Monday, Israeli forces closed the checkpoint again, and now the town is closed once more," he pointed out.
 
The closure of Silwad blocked off a key lifeline for around ten villages east of Ramallah towards the city of Ramallah early on Monday.
 
The closure forced Palestinians to cross through mountain passes to get to their workplaces in the city, twice as long as the usual route.

 "Please don't keep asking me where will we travel through," Raed Ajaj, a minibus driver, nervously replied to his passengers who complained about being late for their work.
 
"You already know how this works when they [the Israeli army] decide to make it difficult on us. My job is to get you to Ramallah and I will, just don't ask how," he added as he drove through the rocky dirt road between olive trees.
 
Tensions have continued to rise in the West Bank, as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails prepare for a major hunger strike starting in September.
 
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club and the Palestinian High Commission for Prisoners' Affairs announced a program of protest activities in support of prisoners, starting on Monday in Jenin, Bethlehem and Hebron, and later in the week in other West Bank cities.