Israel has killed more than 300 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza.
The Israeli occupation forces carried out a large-scale raid across the West Bank on Thursday overnight, killing a Palestinian man and seizing around $2.5 million from several Palestinian exchange shops in yet another escalation in the area, Al Jazeera reported.
The occupation forces have targeted Ramallah, Al-Bireh, Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Jericho, and Hebron in the West Bank, the network said.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent on the ground, Imran Khan, confirmed that Israeli forces “seized about $2.5m” from three exchange shops in Ramallah and two others in the West Bank.
Khan added that the Israeli forces “blew up the safe” of one of the exchange shops to seize the money.
The Israeli army radio later alleged that the five money exchange shops transfer money for “terrorist purposes to Hamas and Islamic Jihad”.
Israel has long used such accusations to justify its daily attacks on Palestinians and labelled any Palestinian movement resisting its occupation as “terrorist.”
During the raid, the occupation forces encircled the vicinity of Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah, Al-Manara and Al-Sa’ah roundabouts, and the Shireen Abu Akleh Street.
Medical sources on the ground confirmed to Palestine’s news agency (Wafa) that Israel killed one Palestinian youth, Hazem Qatawi, during the raid while injuring 14 others with live bullets.
Qatawi is among 520 Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the beginning of 2023, Wafa added.
Out of the total figure, 312 have been killed by Israel since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, which saw intensified raids across the West Bank. Israel has killed 21,110 other Palestinians in Gaza and injured 55,243 under its ongoing genocidal war.
Israel has also detained 4,785 in the West Bank since the beginning of the Israeli war, the Commission of Detainees Affairs said on Tuesday. The figure is believed to be higher after the latest Israeli raid.
Israel had intensified its raids and attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza, with the Jenin camp being subjected to harrowing attacks by the occupation forces.
In June, Israel carried out a large-scale raid in the Jenin refugee camp, where occupation forces killed at least five Palestinians including a 15-year-old while bulldozing the area.
The war on Gaza has also significantly impacted the West Bank’s economy due to the heavy Israeli restrictions on people and goods, the United Nations said in a report on November 9.
The Israeli restrictions on movement have prevented 67,000 Palestinian workers from accessing their jobs, placing them at a high risk of losing their jobs. Around 24% of Palestinians in the West Bank have lost their jobs, according to the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO).
“Israel has suspended work permits for all Palestinian workers in its territory since the start of the war, who generate an estimated income of about $3 billion a year,” the report added.
Movement across Palestine is a daily challenge for Palestinians living under the 75-year Israeli occupation. The population requires work permits to get to their daily jobs and pass through some of the 49 Israeli checkpoints, described by rights organisations as “death traps.”
For instance, those with a valid West Bank ID require Israeli permits to cross over to East Jerusalem, despite their right to free movement in their lands.
There are at least 645 physical obstacles currently positioned across Palestine that hinder the daily commute of Palestinians in violation of international law.
