The occupation storms towns in the West Bank and Ben Gvir demands more restrictions

The Israeli occupation army stormed towns in the West Bank, hours after a shooting attack near Jerusalem, while Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that the "freedom of life" of Israeli settlers "superses" the freedom of movement of the Palestinians. 

On Thursday, the Israeli occupation army stormed two towns near the city of Bethlehem in the south of the West Bank and besieged two homes, hours after a shooting attack near Jerusalem in which three Palestinians were killed on charges of carrying it out.

Witnesses reported that a large force of the Israeli occupation army stormed the towns of Beit Tamar and Zaatara near Bethlehem, and surrounded two homes.

Witnesses explained that the army imposed a siege around the two houses, and searches and investigations were underway with their residents.

They pointed out that the forces "assaulted the family and destroyed the contents of the house."

For its part, the Palestinian Authority for Prisoners’ and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs (governmental) and the Prisoners’ Club (non-governmental) said in a joint statement, “The total number of arrests since the seventh of last October rises to about 7,170, including those who continued to be detained and those who were released after their arrest.” .

According to the statement, the Israeli army “arrested at least 18 citizens from the West Bank, including a woman and two children, from yesterday morning (Wednesday) until this morning (Thursday).”

The total number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons exceeds 9,000, including 3,484 administrative detainees, and 606 who are classified as “irregular combatants” from Gaza, according to the data of the two institutions until the end of last January.

"Freedom of life"

In this context, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir called on Thursday for the establishment of more military barriers and the closure of roads in the West Bank, reiterating his position that the “freedom of life” for Israeli settlers is “superior” to the freedom of movement for the Palestinians.

Ben Gvir’s words came in a post on his Telegram account, while commenting on a shooting attack near the “Maale Adumim” settlement, east of Jerusalem, which resulted in the death of an Israeli and the wounding of 8 others with varying injuries, in addition to the killing of 3 Palestinians under the pretext of carrying out the operation.

Ben Gvir said: “A year has passed and I have been screaming at every stage that the freedom of life for the citizens of Israel (the settlers in the West Bank) is superior to the freedom of movement for the residents of the Palestinian Authority (the Palestinians).”

He added: "We need to put up more barriers and close roads in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), and we must change our perception."

On the other hand, Ben Gvir renewed his commitment to arming Israelis (civilians).

Earlier Thursday, the occupation police said in a statement that “three Palestinians from the Bethlehem area arrived in vehicles, got off in two different locations, and began shooting from M-16 machine guns.”

She added: "Civilians and security forces were able to neutralize two immediately, while security forces were able to neutralize another after he attempted to flee the scene."

The occupation police continued: “The medical authorities reported the death of one person and the injury of 8 others to varying degrees. They were transferred to receive treatment.”

This comes in light of the Israeli war on Gaza, which, as of Thursday, left “29,410 martyrs and 69,465 injured, most of them children and women,” in addition to thousands missing under the rubble, according to the Palestinian authorities.

The Israeli occupation authorities continue to expand strict measures against Palestinian prisoners in its prisons, by preventing family visits and withdrawing all communication devices. Israel also practices “isolation, starvation, and medical neglect” against prisoners as “unprecedented retaliatory and tormenting” measures.

These strict measures include preventing visits from families and stopping visits by delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The occupation prison service also withdrew all communications devices, radios and televisions from inside the prisons, which were previously permitted.

Israel claims that the measures were tightened to prevent Palestinian prisoners from coordinating attacks from inside prisons.

The total number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons exceeds 9,000, including 3,484 administrative detainees and 606 classified as “irregular combatants,” who are prisoners of Gaza, after a total of 5,200 before the Israeli war on Gaza, according to the latest data from the Prisoners’ and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.

The charges against the prisoners, including those who are under administrative detention, meaning they have not been tried or formally charged, range from “murder, organizing attacks, and incitement to violence via social media networks.”

On Wednesday, the Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Association and the Prisoners' Club announced the martyrdom of paralyzed prisoner Khaled al-Shawish (53 years old), from the Fara'a camp near Tubas in the northern West Bank, in Nafha prison. Al-Shawish is one of the chronic medical cases in the occupation prisons. He has been detained since 2007 and has been sentenced to life imprisonment 11 times.

With the martyrdom of the prisoner Al-Shawish, the number of prisoners who were martyred behind bars since last October 7 rose to 9.

Official and civil Palestinian sources confirm that Israel has been practicing “isolation, starvation, and medical neglect” against Palestinian prisoners in its prisons, as part of “unprecedented retaliatory and punitive measures” since last October 7.

These conditions raise serious concern among the families of the prisoners, as human rights bodies that follow the affairs of the prisoners hold Israel responsible for their martyrdom.

Walid Nasser, editor-in-chief of “Ajyal” Radio, which is based in Ramallah, says: “We receive messages from everywhere, which are an expression of the families’ concern for their loved ones in prison, as they no longer receive any news about them through the Red Cross or other international organizations.” Since October 7.”

However, Palestinian prisoners probably no longer have access to radios inside the occupation prisons, but the radio continues to broadcast a program that has formed a link between prisoners and their families for a long time, despite the restrictions.

With the start of the devastating war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Israel escalated its operations in the occupied West Bank, leaving hundreds of martyrs and thousands wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, in addition to about 7,120 prisoners, according to the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners’ Authority and the Prisoners’ Club.

Since the same date, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and a noticeable deterioration in infrastructure and property, according to Palestinian and UN data.