A Palestinian resistance fighter was shot dead and another seriously injured in the early hours of 15 May during an Israeli military raid on the Askar refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian media outlets reported.

A number of fighters opened fire at the Israeli troops upon their storming of the camp, triggering a gunfight.

“Two Palestinians were shot with live bullets during confrontations that broke out in the camp, resulting in one of them getting killed … the other was shot in the chest and is reported to be in critical condition,” according to WAFA news agency.

The resistance fighter has been identified by the Palestinian Health Ministry as 22-year-old Saleh Mohammed Sabra. He was a member of the Askar Battalion, based out of the Askar camp and affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement and its Al-Quds Brigade.

Sabra’s funeral procession was held later on in the day in Nablus’ Balata refugee camp. Fighters from the Askar Battalion attended the funeral procession.

“The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine mourns its fighter martyr, Salih Muhammad Sabra … who was killed by the bullets of the occupation soldiers during the storming of the Askar camp in Nablus at dawn today,” the PIJ said in a statement.

Saleh is the 152^nd Palestinian to be killed by Israeli troops since the start of 2023.

Coinciding with the early morning raid, Israeli forces stormed other areas nearby the Askar camp in Nablus, including the Al-Masaken al-Shaabiya neighborhood, where they were confronted with heavy gunfire.

تغطية صحفية: "مقــاومـون يطلقون النار تجاه قوات الاحتلال خلال في منطقة المساكن الشعبية شرق نابلس". pic.twitter.com/3cXxhUJVfU

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) May 15, 2023

During the raids, Israeli forces took measurements in the family home of slain Hamas commander Abdel Fattah al-Kharousha, with the aim of destroying it. Kharousha had been involved in a shooting in Nablus’ Huwara neighborhood in February, which left two settlers dead. He was killed in a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in March.

Lately, the armed resistance in the occupied West Bank has expanded in an unprecedented fashion.

Groups such as the Lions’ Den and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, as well as the Nablus and Jenin branches of the PIJ’s Al-Quds Brigade – have been highly active against the Israeli occupation through shootings, ambushes, and attacks on settlers and army checkpoints.

As a result, the Israeli army launches frequent raids in the West Bank with the goal of assassinating resistance fighters. However, these raids almost always result in civilian casualties.

Two days ago, Israeli troops killed two Palestinian men in Nablus’ Balata camp.

On Sunday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir renewed his incessant demands for a wide-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank.

This morning’s raids come two days after a ceasefire was reached between Israel and the resistance in Gaza, which brought an end to five days of battle.

They also coincide with Nakba Day, which commemorates the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and their expulsion from their land in 1948.