NABLUS: Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian during an incursion into the West Bank city of Nablus early Thursday, Palestinian sources said.

The exchange of fire came just hours after veteran Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had formed a new government, returning to power as the head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history.

The Palestinian health ministry said Ahmed Atef Daraghmeh, 23, a footballer from the nearby town of Tulkarem, sustained bullet wounds to the back and foot.

Hamas group, which rules the Gaza Strip, said Daraghmeh was a member of its military wing who “was killed by occupation bullets during clashes at dawn on Thursday”.

The Israeli army said its troops had entered Nablus to “secure the coordinated entrance of Israeli civilians to Joseph’s Tomb,” a contested religious site that Muslims believe houses the grave of a local sheikh, but many Jews revere as the burial place of the Biblical patriarch Joseph.

“Armed Palestinians hurled explosive devices and fired toward the soldiers, endangering their lives,” the army said.

“The soldiers responded with live fire. Hits were identified.”

Joseph’s Tomb lies within the built up area of Nablus, and Jewish pilgrims can visit only in groups escorted by the Israeli army.

Their entry often sparks clashes with Palestinian residents.

Nablus has seen frequent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians in recent months.

As the army has stepped up its incursions into Palestinian towns and cities in response to a wave of deadly attacks on Israeli targets earlier this year.

The flare-up has seen the rise to prominence of a new armed group, dubbed the “Lions’ Den”, that has brought together fighters from established Palesti­nian factions united in their opposition to the longstanding security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli army.

The army killed some of the group’s top leaders in early October, but its fighters said on Telegram that they had taken part in Thursday’s clashes.

Members of the new governing coalition announced by Netanyahu late Wednesday have called for an even tougher crackdown on Palestinians.

The prospective national security minister in the new government, Itamar Ben Gvir of the far-right Jewish Power party, has repeatedly urged Israeli security personnel to use more force when countering Palestinian unrest.

At least 150 Palestinians and 26 Israelis have been killed this year across Israel and the West Bank, including Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

A further 49 Palestinians were killed during three days of fighting between Gaza fighters and Israel in August.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2022