RAMALLAH, February 10, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on Monday that the Israeli occupation army has expanded its open-fire orders in the occupied West Bank, leading to an increase in the number of Palestinian civilian casualties.
The newspaper added, quoting commanders of units in the occupation army, that the so-called "Central Command" has decided to implement the open-fire mechanism it used in the Gaza Strip to kill any unarmed Palestinian, whether suspected or not, in the West Bank.
The newspaper explained that "the broad open-fire orders made it easier for soldiers to pull the trigger at the behest of the commander of the Central Command, Avi Balut."
Since January 21, the Israeli occupation has continued an unprecedented aggression on the northern West Bank governorates, starting with Jenin and its camp, before expanding it to the city of Tulkarm and its camps, Tulkarm and Nur Shams,as well as town of Tamoun and the Far'a camp in the Tubas governorate.
Haaretz quoted soldiers who participated in the ongoing aggression on the West Bank as saying, "Balut allowed shooting to kill Palestinians without resorting to detaining them."
The newspaper quoted the leaders of the occupation army units, saying that "the commander of the West Bank Division, Yaki Dolph, ordered to shoot at any vehicle coming from a combat zone towards a checkpoint; which was implemented on Sunday when soldiers opened fire on a car that was on its way to a military checkpoint, carrying a man and a woman, which led to their killing, even though they were not armed."
Yesterday, Sundus Jamal Mohammad Shalabi, 23, and her fetus were killed, while her husband was critically wounded in the head after the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on the vehicle they were riding in while trying to flee from the Nour Shams camp east of Tulkarm.
The newspaper explained that "an Israeli military force used Palestinian civilians to search buildings believed to contain explosives, similar to what happened in the Gaza Strip, when the army used civilians as human shields."
Meanwhile, Haaretz revealed the details of the killing of Rahaf Fouad Abdullah Al-Ashqar, 21, in the Nour Shams camp yesterday.
The newspaper said that the occupation army planted a bomb in order to blow up the entrance to the house and storm it, without informing those inside, and when Rahaf opened the door, the bomb exploded, leading to her killing.
In parallel with the genocidal war that it launched on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation and colonists escalated their attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which resulted in the killing of 910 citizens, including 183 children, and the injury of about 7,000 others.
Since the beginning of this year 2025, 75 Palestinians have been killed, including 11 children, according to data issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
K.T
