PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:43 pm - Jerusalem Time

Video || The New York Times documents testimonies of a field execution carried out by the occupation during the Nablus massacre

Translation by "Al-Quds" dot com - The New York Times, the American international newspaper, documented testimonies confirming the use of lethal force by the Israeli occupation forces against unarmed Palestinian citizens, during its military operation in Nablus on the twenty-second of last February, which claimed the lives of 11 martyrs and more than 100. infection.

According to the newspaper in its report - as mentioned in the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz issued on Thursday - the 4 of the martyrs, at least, were not in a position of threat to the Israeli forces, and despite that, they were subjected to direct fire.

According to the American newspaper, it obtained video clips from several areas in Nablus, in addition to others from social networks published at the time of the Israeli military operation, where soldiers were seen entering on foot into a crowded market and taking up positions for themselves in rooftop houses. 3 activists from the Lions' Den, who were the target of the operation, were in a nearby house, and when they refused to surrender, an exchange of fire began that lasted for several hours.

It all started shortly before 10 am - says Sahar Zalloum (63 years old), who noticed a person who arrived at the market area in the old town of Nablus, and noticed him looking for something, and asked him if he needed something, especially since his features were strange from the area-, but he pulled immediately pulled a gun and told her to go home.

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At around 10:15 am, many forces stormed the city of Nablus, and the angry residents began to gather, and at a crossroads, about 400 meters away from the house where the wanted persons were, a group of Palestinians threw stones and what they found in front of them, then suddenly one of the military vehicles deviated and advanced Towards the gathering of citizens, and in this regard, Amid al-Masri, a well-known local activist, says: "They did this without thinking of a scenario in which citizens could be harmed."

A video clip taken from a nearby area, recording what was happening, shows that none of the Palestinians were armed among those gathered, but the Israeli army spokesman justified this by the fact that the driver apparently lost control of the military vehicle due to throwing stones.

In one of the video clips, the gunman appears (according to the American newspaper), Musab Owais, who was pointing his weapon at a military vehicle, before he was shot and fell to the ground. Several people rushed to help him, and one of them took his weapon, and when they tried to take him for treatment, they were fired again.

At the same time, at a distance of approximately 800 metres, Israeli army vehicles fanned out along the southern border of the Old City, one of which crashed into a civilian car, driving it into a nearby wall, and at the intersection just below the street, another military vehicle passed garbage containers that had been positioned to serve as obstacle, and almost hits a man standing nearby, before crashing into a building.

After 20 minutes, Muhammad Anbousi (24 years old) approached the same intersection, and when he was hiding behind a car, he fired fireworks at a parked military vehicle, and in a video recording what was happening, a soldier was seen who was in an armored vehicle about 80 meters away from Anbousi And he shot him, and when Muhammad was crying for help to save him, Jasser Qaneer arrived to help him, and after a minute while he was carrying a grapevine and trying to get away from it to a safe place, the two were shot in the back, and while they were lying on the ground motionless, the military vehicle was seen moving away from the scene of the accident According to residents who removed the two bodies, Quneir was shot in the head, and Anbousi apparently was shot in the chest.

The Israeli army spokesman claims that the incident is being investigated.

While Omar Shaker, the regional director of Human Rights Watch, said: "It is difficult to see through the footage how Muhammad Anbousi and Jasser Qaneer posed any threat, less a threat to life that justifies lethal force according to international law, at the moment when Israeli forces shot and killed them.. This Another example of the Israeli forces using excessive force.

At approximately 12:30, the Israeli forces began withdrawing from Nablus, and videos from the city show that even as the Israeli army withdrew from it, two passers-by were shot dead.

The shooting took place in an area where many citizens gathered between a clinic and a mosque. A man, whose identity the New York Times could not verify, fired at a military vehicle as it passed on a nearby road. In response, the soldiers, who were riding in two armored vehicles, opened fire. The crowd randomly attacked the crowd in front of the mosque, and Abd al-Hadi al-Ashkar (62 years) was leaving the mosque, and Muhammad Shaaban (16 years) were killed in the incident. "The soldiers responded with live fire," the Israeli army spokesman said.

“If you look at this objectively, it is clear that Israeli forces broke human rights law by shooting indiscriminately at bystanders, killing people who did not pose a threat,” said Sarah Harrison, a former Pentagon attorney who is now with the International Crisis Group. By law, US officials must evaluate the footage and ensure that Israeli military units are eligible for US security support.

In response to the investigation, the Israeli army spokesman said, "This is an operational incident in which armed men opened heavy fire at the soldiers, who returned fire. During the violent riots, stones, Molotov cocktails and explosives were thrown at the soldiers."

In one of the videos, a 72-year-old man is seen lying on the ground, showing signs of violence on his hands, neck, and body. "This is a sign of the recklessness with which they carried out this raid, and no one thought about collateral damage," said al-Masry, a local activist.