A Palestinian was killed in clashes in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday (September 20th) in a rare operation by Palestinian Authority security forces to arrest members of the Islamist movement Hamas, sources said. consistent.
Palestinian security services spokesman Talal Dweikat said Firas Yaïsh, a 53-year-old man, was killed in Nablus (north), "
in an area where Palestinian security forces were not present
" .
.
He said he was waiting for the medical report to know the nature of the injuries.
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The clashes continued until the afternoon, noted AFP journalists.
Hundreds of Palestinian youths threw rocks at Palestinian Authority armored vehicles as gunfire was heard across the city.
Talal Dweikat confirmed in a press release the arrest of Moussab Shtayyeh and Amid Tbaileh for security reasons which will be "
disclosed later
".
A rival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, Islamist Hamas has demanded the immediate release of the prisoners, calling the arrests "
kidnapping
" and a "
national crime
".
Calls for the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas
In power in the Gaza Strip, Hamas has criticized the Palestinian Authority for its continued security coordination with Israel.
"
The Authority has positioned itself as an agent of the (Israeli) occupation against our people
," the Islamist movement said in a statement.
"
All of this is the result of security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and the occupation (Israel, editor's note)
," Ahmed, a 26-year-old Palestinian in Nablus, also told AFP, calling for Mahmoud's resignation. Abbas.
"
Go away, you don't represent the Palestinians, you're just one man who wants to fill his pockets
," he added, preferring to keep his full name silent.
months of violence
The spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abou Roudeina, called
for "calm
".
“
The main battle is against the Israeli occupation
,” he said in a statement.
Palestinian Authority operations are relatively rare in the northern West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel, which has been plagued by violence in recent months.
For its part, the Israeli army regularly carries out operations in this region where Palestinian armed groups are active.
According to her, her raids are aimed at arresting people suspected of "
terrorism
" and are frequently interspersed with clashes with combatants or residents.
Dozens of Palestinians, including members of armed groups, have been killed in operations that escalated after anti-Israel attacks from March.
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Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid assured that he "
would not hesitate to act wherever the Palestinian Authority does not maintain order
", after the death of an Israeli officer and two Palestinians in exchanges shooting near Jenin.
Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah and Hamas have been at loggerheads since 2007, when Islamists seized control of Gaza after a near-civil war.
Reconciliation efforts were unsuccessful.
