A Palestinian man who was part of Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades passed away on Wednesday after succumbing to wounds sustained during clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank city of Jenin last week, according to Palestinian media.
Dia al-Din Mohammad Sabarini, 25, was shot along with five other Palestinians during a firefight with Israel Police as Israeli security forces conducted arrest operations last week.
Hamas mourned Sabarini's death on Wednesday, saying he was shot dead while "defending" the city of Jenin.
"The heroism shown by Jenin’s youth and their renewed clash with the occupation army reaffirms the insistence of the rebellious youth in the West Bank to rise up until the occupation is expelled and its settlements uprooted," said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem. "This pure blood will remain a witness to the great sacrifices of our Palestinian people in their struggle against the Zionist occupier."According to Palestinian News Agency WAFA, thousands of Jenin residents conducted a march in the city on Wednesday in protest against the death while carrying Sabarini's body wrapped in a Palestinian flag.The protesters chanted slogans calling for national unity and close ranks to confront Israel, and condemned what they called international silence on Israeli actions, according to the report.
According to WAFA, Israeli forces and undercover units clashed with Palestinian youths after they raided the city’s industrial area. One Palestinian was seriously injured in his stomach after being shot by troops and he was rushed to a hospital in Nablus. The other five were injured after being shot by troops as well.
A statement released by the Border Police said that troops fired towards a number of Palestinians who fired live ammunition, hurled explosives and Molotov cocktails at them.
While there were no injuries to Israeli security forces, an armored vehicle was damaged in the fighting.
Israeli security forces carry out near-nightly raids in the West Bank in an effort to arrest wanted Palestinians, as well as to uncover unofficial workshops producing illegal weapons and confiscate funds that could be used for terrorism.
Armed clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in Jenin has become a regular occurrence in recent months.
In July, six Palestinians were injured in a firefight after they opened fire on Israeli Border Police in Jenin. Four vehicles belonging to the Palestinian Civil Defense and an electrical transformer were damaged during the clashes, according to Palestinian reports.
In an interview with Yediot Aharonot following the firefight in July, the commander of the Counterterrorism Unit in the West Bank said that it was “reminiscent of Lebanon.”
Deputy-Superintendent D. told the publication that security forces went to the city to arrest suspects wanted by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and troops came under intense fire on their way out of the city as terrorists fired at them from just a few meters away.
“They identified our convoy and attacked us in a well-planned ambush,” said D. “While we were driving out of the city they followed our convoy of cars, stopped at an intersection in front of us, which we reached only after a few minutes, and blocked it with their cars. Meanwhile, the terrorists got out of the cars, stood on either side of the intersection, and waited for us.”
When the officers reached the intersection, they were fired on from all sides. “It was an encounter reminiscent of Lebanon,” D. said, adding that “they prepared surprise after surprise for us.”
In June, two members of the Palestinian Authority’s military intelligence and one Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist were shot and killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank city, according to Palestinian reports.
The two military intelligence members, Adham Yasser Eleiwi and Tayseer Ayasa, were killed in a firefight after the Israeli troops entered the city to arrest terror suspects. Muhammad Samer al-Bazour, another member of the PA intelligence services, was reportedly critically wounded in the firefight as well.
The Israeli forces reportedly entered Jenin to arrest Jamil al-Amouri and Wissam Abu Zaid, members of PIJ’s al-Quds Brigades. The two were reportedly detained, and Amouri reportedly died due to injuries sustained in the firefight.
At the time, a spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the incident, calling it a “dangerous Israeli escalation” and warning of “repercussions,” according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency.