What happened today, on 22 February, in Nablus is a major crime committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people, according to a statement by Ziad al-Nakhala, the secretary-general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Al-Mayadeen reported.
“It is our duty as resistance forces to respond to this crime without hesitation,” Nakhala said while stressing that “the Palestinian people are united in the face of the enemy, and this will be proven, God willing.”
PIJ media representative Daoud Shihab told Al-Mayadeen that the group’s armed wing would respond to today’s Israeli army raid on Nablus, in which occupation soldiers killed 11 Palestinians (including six resistance fighters and four civilians) and injured some 100 people. Shihab declared that the “Al-Quds Brigades that began in Jenin and Nablus are able to hurt the enemy again. We are sure that the response to the crime of Nablus will soon come.”
Anticipating Palestinian retaliation to the early morning operation, Israeli police have raised their level of alert, with a focus on additional security efforts in towns close to the West Bank separation barrier, Jerusalem, and additional central cities.
Nakhala and Shihab’s statements came as Palestinian Authority (PA) officials requested that the UN Security Council (UNSC) hold an emergency session in response to today’s Israeli operation in the northern West Bank town, WAFA news agency reported.
Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Riyad Malki stated that the PA leadership has also requested that the Council of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convene a meeting to condemn what he described as the Israeli massacre and to ensure international protection for the Palestinian people.
Meanwhile, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar joined Jordan in condemning today’s deadly Israeli military raid, the Times of Israel reported.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry described the “Israeli occupation forces’ storming of the Palestinian city… a serious violation of international law” and called on the international community to stop such escalations.
Egypt’s foreign ministry also slammed the occupation’s assault on Nablus and expressed its “deep concern” that the operation will further escalate tensions.
Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it “strongly condemns” the raid, calling it an “extension of [Israel’s] continuous and systematic crimes against the Palestinian people.”
Doha further “warned of an explosion of tensions in the Palestinian territories as a result of the Israeli escalation” and calls on the international community to act to stop such “Israeli attacks” and to “provide protection” to the Palestinian people.
Notably, Abraham Accords signatories UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco did not join their fellow Arab states in condemning the raid. All three countries normalized relations with Israel after signing the accords, which were negotiated in 2020 under the auspices of the Trump administration.