The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) announced on Thursday, August 29 the assassination of Mohammad Jabber, also known as Abu Shujaa. Shujaa was the commander of Tulkarm Brigade, which is affiliated to Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in Nour Shams refugee camp in the city of Tulkarm, in the northern occupied West Bank.
Abu Shujaa was killed with four other resistance fighters from the Tulkarm Brigade during an hours-long clash with the IOF in Nour Shams refugee camp. The camp has been under Israeli fire since Tuesday, August 27, when Israel began its most extensive and largest military operation in the West Bank since 2002. The IOF surrounded a building, where Abu Shujaa and a number of resistance fighters were located and attacked it with an Energia rocket, after which an exchange of fire continued for hours until the armed resistance fighters were assassinated. One of the fighters was reportedly arrested by the Israeli army, and an Israeli soldier was injured during the attack.
Islamic Jihad mourned Abu Shujaa and the rest of Tulkarm Brigade members, who were killed on Thursday after what it said was “a heroic battle against the soldiers of the [Israeli] occupation”. The resistance movement described Abu Shujaa as “a resistance fighter, who chose to confront the occupation to lift the oppression of his people, fully aware that facing the occupation, regardless of the cost, is far better than living under its rule,” and that “the Palestinian people knew him for his steadfastness and bravery.” In retaliation for its fighters’ assassination, the movement targeted IOF soldiers with explosive devices and live ammunition in the cities of Tulkarm and Jenin.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas also mourned Abu Shujaa and his companions, hailing all resistance fighters affiliated with different Palestinian factions, brigades, and resistance groups for their bravery in resisting the Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel on Wednesday to “immediately” end its large-scale military operation in the West Bank, in which at least 17 Palestinian people have been killed and several others have been wounded within the last 48 hours. Gutteres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated that “only an end to the occupation and a return to a meaningful political process that will establish a two-state solution will bring an end to the violence. The United Nations will continue to work with all parties towards this end, to seek a de-escalation of the current situation and promote stability in the region.”
Gutteres’ call for Israel to end its operation in the West Bank comes a couple of days after calling on Israel to agree for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza to enable children in the Gaza strip to receive polio vaccination. However, the request of the UN Secretary-General for a temporary ceasefire in the besieged strip was rejected by Israel. The Israeli occupation instead agreed on Thursday to a series of “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, which last for three-days in each part of Gaza separately, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The organization clarified that the vaccination campaign will start on Sunday, September 1, in central Gaza for three days, and there will be a humanitarian pause during the vaccination process. The southern and northern parts of the Gaza strip will also be covered by the vaccination campaign afterwards, as there will be three-day pauses in each of the areas, and that an additional day may be allowed if needed.
A permanent ceasefire in Gaza seems to be out of reach for the time being as Israel continues to massacre the Palestinian people in Gaza. On Thursday, August 29, at least 16 Palestinians were killed and several others were injured, most of them children and women, in Israeli airstrikes that targeted different parts of Gaza.
