IDF troops hit by large explosive device in Nablus

By Emanuel Fabian 31 August 2023, 12:09 am Israeli

Troops operating inside the West Bank city of Nablus were targeted by a large explosive device, seemingly detonated by Palestinian fighters in the city, footage showed.

Videos and images circulated by Palestinian media outlets showed a large column of smoke rising after the blast, which apparently came as troops were in the area.

 

Israeli troops were operating in Nablus to secure the entry of Jewish worshipers to the Joseph’s Tomb shrine in the West Bank city.

Clashes were reported elsewhere in Nablus amid the operation.

The entry to the shrine, escorted by Israeli soldiers, was to continue despite the explosion, local authorities said.

#شاهد اللحظات الأولى لتفجير العبوة الناسفة بدورية لجيش في منطقة الحرش شرق #نابلس وصراخ جنود الاحتلال.

لمتابعة آخر الأخبار عبر قناة نيو برس على تيلجرام https://t.co/6BCL5wfFPS pic.twitter.com/0FbuIeoGat

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) August 30, 2023
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately comment on the blast.

Busloads of Orthodox Israelis visit Joseph Tomb’s under IDF protection on a monthly basis, if not more frequently, and the pilgrimages almost always spark violent clashes with Palestinian locals when the IDF enters Nablus beforehand to secure the area for the arrival of the hardline pilgrims.

The shrine, regarded by some as the final resting place of the biblical patriarch Joseph, is located inside Area A of the West Bank, which is officially under complete Palestinian Authority control, though the Israeli military regularly enters, despite Palestinian opposition.

The IDF bars Israeli citizens from entering Area A without prior authorization, and some criticize the monthly incursions as an unnecessary provocation that places Israeli soldiers at risk.

Violence has surged across the West Bank over the past year and a half, with a rise in Palestinian shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and troops, near-nightly arrest raids by the military, and an uptick in revenge attacks by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians.

Palestinians in the West Bank have targeted Israeli troops with roadside bombs several times over the past year. In June, eight soldiers were wounded after a massive explosive device was detonated next to an army convoy in Jenin.