Israeli settlers attack Palestinian school as confrontations grow in the occupied West Bank

Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian school in the town of Hawarah, south of Nablus on Tuesday, hours after another settler mob clashed with Palestinian inhabitants in the town's streets.

"Around 8:20 in the morning, Israeli settlers broke into the schoolyard and attacked a teacher and two students," Eyad Awad, the coordinator for the Palestinian education ministry in the southern Nablus region based in Hawarah, told The New Arab.

"Fortunately, the students were inside the classrooms as the first period started. The teacher in the schoolyard and the two students who defended themselves were lightly injured," he added. The school day was called off and the children were sent home.

Late on Monday, settlers marched through the streets of Hawarah and clashed with local youths. Local sources told The New Arab that around 16 Palestinians were injured.

The attacks in Hawarah came a day after the West Bank witnessed a rise in confrontations between Palestinian civilians and Israeli military forces.

On Monday, Palestinians in Ramallah observed a full day commercial strike in mourning of two Palestinians killed by Israeli forces early in the morning in the Jalazone refugee camp outside the city.

The local leadership of the Palestinian 'Fatah' faction in Ramallah called for a general strike in protest and mourning for the two young men killed in Jalazone. All businesses shut their doors, while cultural institutions cancelled all activities for the day. 

The two men, 19-year-old Bassel Basbous and 22-year-old Khaled Anbar, were killed while on their way home in the Jalazone refugee camp.

lsraeli settlers break into a Palestinian school in Huwara, south of Nablus city. It’s been reported that three Palestinians were injured in the attack, not to mention the panic experienced by the students. pic.twitter.com/5iLypLLu3J

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) October 4, 2022

 "They were both night-shift workers in the city and were coming home as they did every day," Mahmoud Mubarak, head of the Jalazone popular services committee, told The New Arab.
 
"Around 3:00 am, the two young men came across the occupation soldiers at a point where there had been confrontations between youngsters and the soldiers some hours earlier," said Mubarak.
 
"After the soldiers shot and killed them, they withheld their bodies. We are trying to pressure through the civil liaison office and other channels to have their bodies back as soon as possible and give them proper burial," he added.

Israeli occupation forces shot and killed the two young Palestinian men Khaled Al-Dabbas and Basil Basbous during a military raid into Al-Jalazun refugee camp in Ramallah, at dawn today. pic.twitter.com/9sdqURpDxJ

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) October 3, 2022

Israeli media quoted the Israeli army claiming that the two young men tried to run over the soldiers. Palestinians in Jalazone deny the accusation.
 
A few hours later, Israeli forces raided the city of Ramallah and fired tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian youths who confronted the raiding forces with stones in the city centre.
  
In the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli forces raided the city at sunrise and arrested two Palestinians, clashing with Palestinian gunmen.
 
"While the occupation forces withdrew through the Amman street, in eastern Nablus, gunmen opened fire at them and there was a brief exchange of fire," Ameen Abu Wardeh, resident of Nablus, told The New Arab.
 
"By mid-morning life returned to normal in Nablus, but tensions are still high, especially after the shootings that took place on Sunday around the city," he pointed out.

⭕ Occupation forces fire tear gas canisters at young men during the confrontations that erupted after their storming into downtown Ramallah. pic.twitter.com/Q8NAWp07Jo

— Palestine News 24/7 (@PaliNewsBot) October 3, 2022

On Sunday, Palestinian gunmen opened fire at an Israeli settlers march south of Nablus, injuring one Israeli soldier. Later in the night, another shooting targeted Israeli soldiers at the Beit Furik checkpoint, southeast of the city. No casualties were reported.
 
In a statement, a coalition of Palestinian militants in Nablus under the name of "The Lions' Den" claimed responsibility for the shootings near Nablus, threatening to carry out more similar actions.
 
Overall, at least four shooting attacks against Israeli targets were reported between Sunday and Monday, including a shooting attack at the Kiryat Arbaa Israeli settlement in Hebron and another at the Beit El Israeli settlement near Ramallah.

Ramallah is observing a commercial strike today following the killing of 2 Palestinian men from Jalazone refugee camp, just outside Ramallah.

Their car was showered by bullets in the early hours of this morning by Israeli regime forces. Their bodies are still being held captive.

— Dr. Yara Hawari د. يارا هواري (@yarahawari) October 3, 2022

On Monday, the Israeli public radio service said that 19 Palestinian shooting attacks had occurred in September alone, stating that Israeli officials worried about the possible expansion of armed Palestinian actions to more parts of the West Bank.
 
For its side, the spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rdeinah, said on Monday that "Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people has gone beyond all red lines... Peace will not be at whatever price, and our people will not accept the continuation of the Israeli occupation."
 
Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh also condemned the killing of Basslel Basbous and Khaled Anbar in the Jalazone refugee camp, calling on the international community "to hold Israel directly responsible for the recent escalation."

🇮🇱🚨 — BREAKING: Shooting attack reported in the Shomron near the city of Nablus. IDF soldier injured. Details to follow. pic.twitter.com/cusBVBgXcp

— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) October 2, 2022

Since the beginning of 2022, Israeli forces have killed 165 Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a report released on Sunday by the non-government  "National Gathering of Palestine's Martyrs' Families".
 
According to the report, 113 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, while 52 were killed during the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip in August.