Days of Rage Declared over Israeli Siege on Jericho City
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Three days of rage were declared by Hamas over the Israeli regime’s tight siege on the occupied West Bank city of Jericho for the ninth consecutive day.
The Aqabat Jabr refugee camp battalion of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance movement, announced this in a statement, saying three days of rage started on Sunday in protest at the Israeli forces’ siege on Jericho, the Palestinian Information Center reported.
It also called on the Palestinian youths to battle the Israeli forces in the city.
According to local sources, the archaeological city of Jericho and its surroundings remain under a tight Israeli siege as the regime’s forces set up roadblocks and checkpoints nine days ago at the city’s entrances and search vehicles and check IDs of passengers, causing unsustainable delays and traffic jams.
Hamas on Saturday applauded the Palestinian youths who confronted the Israeli occupation forces during a raid in Jericho.
“We salute the resistance youths who responded heroically and valiantly to the Israeli raid and engaged in armed clashes with IOF soldiers,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said.
“The resistance action that has spread across the West Bank cities, villages and camps reflect that the Palestinian people’s growing revolution will continue until they achieve their aspirations for freedom and independence,” he added.
Meanwhile, an Israeli military bulldozer was seen on Sunday blocking a side road in Wadi al-Qelt area in the west of Jericho with mounds of dirt.
The Israeli occupation forces also arrested three Palestinian young men at the southern entrance of Jericho.
Palestinians say Israel is imposing collective punishment on the entire Jericho and gravely harming its economy, particularly during the high season when the city is a popular destination for tourism.
The Israeli forces began to besiege Jericho City after a resistance fighter opened fire at a nearby settler restaurant on January 28. After firing one bullet because of a malfunction in the weapon, the fighter fled the scene.
Israeli forces occasionally break into Jericho, mainly Aqbat Jabr refugee camp, and conduct searches. The last raid in Jericho on Saturday injured 13 Palestinians, including three seriously.