August 18, 2022: Wasim Nasser Abu Khalifa, 18, was shot and killed by Israeli forces who were invading the Balata refugee camp, which was Wasim’s home. The soldiers also injured at least 36 others, including three who suffered life-threatening wounds, in Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
Ahmad Jibril, the spokesperson of the Nablus office of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), said the soldiers killed Wasim Nasser Abu Khalifa, 18, from Balata refugee camp, after shooting him with two live rounds in the upper chest, including one to the heart. The medics rushed Wasim to the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, but he succumbed to his serious wounds despite all efforts to save his life.
Jibril added that the soldiers also shot three young men with live rounds in the chest, neck area and the abdomen, causing life-threatening wounds, in addition to one who was shot with a high-velocity gas bomb to the chest, and were all rushed to local hospitals, and 27 who suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation who received treatment by PRCS medics.
Most of the Palestinians who suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation are children, including infants, who were injured while in their homes due to the intensity of the Israeli fire.
The Israeli invasions targeted many areas in Nablus, including the main invasion into Joseph’s Tomb area, Amman Street, Balata refugee camp and many surrounding communities.
Palestinian resistance fighters also exchanged fire with the soldiers invading the Joseph Tomb area, Amman Street, in addition to Askar and Balata refugee camp.
Ibrahim Milhem, the spokesperson of the Palestinian Government, denounced the killing of the Palestinian teen in Nablus, and the ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people across occupied Palestine, and denounced the international silence and complicity, and those who justify the Israeli crimes.
Media sources said dozens of soldiers in many armored vehicles and troop carriers accompanied several buses transporting illegal colonizers into Joseph’s Tomb area in the eastern part of the city, leading to protests.
They added that the army fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, and gas bombs, causing dozens of Palestinians to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation.
The invasions and protests mainly took place in the Amman Street area near Askar and Balata refugee camps.
It is worth mentioning that the army frequently invades the eastern area of Nablus to accompany the colonists into the historic site, an issue that leads to protests, in addition to the ongoing invasions of homes and the abduction of many Palestinians.
Joseph the patriarch is revered by Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Samaritans alike, however, the Israeli military allows Jews to visit as part of organized pilgrimages, despite the site being in Area A where the PA has full control and prohibits Muslims from worshiping at the site.
Ultra-orthodox and nationalist Jews regularly try to visit the shrine without approval, as many Jews believe the tomb to be the final resting place of the biblical figure in the Old Testament.
Palestinians believe that Joseph’s Tomb is the funerary monument to Sheikh Yousif Dweikat, a local religious figure.
The Palestinian Ministry Of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the killing of the young man and said the attack was “part of Israel’s ongoing crimes and field executions carried out against the Palestinian people, under direct orders from its military and the political leaderships.”
It called on the United Nations to act and provide the Palestinian people with urgently needed international protection and vowed to submit another complaint to the International Criminal Court.
The Ministry called on the International Community to end its idleness and silence and to act to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing illegal occupation and its escalating crimes.
Wasim was from Balata refugee camp in the northern West Bank. Source: IMEMC