The Jerusalem Governorate announced, at dawn on Wednesday, the death of 21-year-old Qassem Amjad Shuqairat, who was shot by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Jabal Al-Mukaber, south of the occupied city. Shuqairat's martyrdom occurred during a raid carried out by special units to attempt to arrest him, where he was directly shot, resulting in fatal injuries from which he later died.
While the occupation police claimed that the young man tried to disarm one of the 'Border Police Unit' members, the martyr's family completely denied this narrative. The family confirmed that the occupation soldiers shot their son in cold blood inside his home and in front of his family, in a clear field execution operation lacking any security justification.
Coinciding with Shuqairat's martyrdom, occupation forces launched an arrest campaign in the town of Jabal Al-Mukaber, targeting three other young men on suspicion of involvement in hostile activities. The detainees were transferred to Israeli intelligence interrogation centers, amidst a state of extreme tension that prevailed in the town after the news of the martyrdom spread.
In a dangerous escalation of settlement activities, large forces of the occupation army stormed the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, to carry out extensive forced eviction operations. The operation targeted 13 residential apartments inhabited by dozens of Jerusalemites, to hand them over to settlement associations that claim ownership of the land in that area.
The eviction operations included 11 apartments belonging to the Rajabi family and two apartments belonging to the Basbous family, leading to the displacement of about 65 individuals, including children, women, and the elderly, who are now homeless in the open. Occupation forces used police dogs and excessive force to remove residents from their homes, amidst the screams of children and protests from residents who tried to resist the unjust decision.
After taking control of the residential buildings, dozens of settlers ascended the roofs of the evacuated homes and began organizing noisy celebrations that included provocative dancing and singing. This step comes as a continuation of the plan of settlement associations, such as 'Ateret Cohanim,' which seeks to gain full control over the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood with false historical claims rejected by residents with Ottoman property documents.
Regarding night raids, occupation forces stormed the town of Kafr Aqab, north of Jerusalem, and arrested a young man, and also pressured the released prisoner Mahmoud Abu Sbeih to surrender himself by detaining his father as a hostage. This systematic policy reflects the extent of pressure exerted by the occupation authorities on Jerusalemite families to break their will and push them to leave.
In northeast Jerusalem, violent confrontations erupted in the villages of Biddu and Beit Ijza after occupation vehicles stormed the two areas, firing tear gas canisters and live bullets. These confrontations resulted in the injury of young Muhammad Rayyan, while occupation forces continued search and sabotage operations in citizens' properties before withdrawing.
In the town of Anata, occupation forces targeted commercial establishments, forcing the owner of a restaurant named 'October 8' to immediately close his shop and change its name under threat of arms. Raids also targeted citizens' homes in the town, as part of a wide intimidation campaign aimed at obliterating any national or symbolic manifestations in the area.
National symbols were not spared from aggression, as occupation soldiers destroyed and demolished the 'Shafat Camp Martyrs' Monument' after provocatively photographing themselves at the site. These simultaneous attacks confirm the escalating pace of Israeli targeting of the city of Jerusalem and its neighborhoods, in an attempt to change the demographic and geographic reality of the holy city.
The neighborhood is going through an unprecedented storm, and forced displacement threatens about 250 Palestinians in Batn al-Hawa.
شارك برأيك
Bloody Day in Jerusalem: Martyr in Jabal Al-Mukaber and Displacement of 13 Families in Silwan for the Benefit of Settlers