Members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad military wing in the city Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. 2 April, 2022. (Photo credit: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
The Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) resistance movement, Commander Ziyad al-Nakhalah, warned on 10 April that Israel’s violent raids on the West Bank city of Jenin could lead to a “full-scale and major confrontation with the occupying regime at any time.”
During a televised interview with Al-Manar television, Al-Nakhalah said: “Palestine has a wide range of options on the table. The unity of Palestinian resistance groups is necessary to confront the enemy. Operations against the occupying regime are not simply a reaction to its [aggressive] measures, but rather a natural response from Palestinians living under occupation.”
The PIJ chief went on to say that Palestinians have many options for resistance in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
“The Israelis must understand that our hands are not tied from supporting our people in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The capabilities of the resistance are limited, but they make a great impact on the occupation state,” he added.
Al-Nakhala said the same conditions that saw tensions erupt into a full-scale war in May 2021 still exist, making a conflict not only possible, but likely.
“We are approaching a battle in the month of Ramadan, and we are strong with our faith, our mujahideen, and our belief that the occupation, despite its strength, remains weak in the face of the Palestinian will,” the PIJ chief highlighted.
He also referred to the escalation by extremist settlers to harm Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem during Ramadan, which has added to the tensions.
Over the weekend, occupation troops launched several raids on the West Bank district of Jenin, home of the suspected attackers who recently launched deadly attacks in Tel Aviv, with Israeli soldiers killing at least three Palestinians.
Two Palestinian women were also killed by Israeli forces in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank. Ghada Ibrahim Sabatine, a 40-year-old widow and mother of six, was shot by Israeli forces near the city of Bethlehem on 10 April.
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Hebron, a Palestinian woman stabbed and lightly wounded an Israeli border police officer before she was shot and killed, according to a statement by Israeli police.
Amid the growing violence, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has warned his country has “gone on the offensive,” mere days after calling on settlers to arm themselves to confront “deadly Arab terrorism.”