Baghdad: Israeli occupation forces raided the mourning house of Palestinian martyr Awda al-Hathalin in the village of Umm al-Khair in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. The forces assaulted activists and foreign journalists before declaring the area a “closed military zone” and forcibly expelling them.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, activists reported that soldiers expelled mourners, arrested two foreign activists, and prevented human rights activists from participating in the funeral. This is seen as an escalation targeting Bedouin communities in Masafer Yatta. Al-Hathalin was killed by settler gunfire while confronting attacks on village residents. The forces continue to withhold his body.

Haaretz noted that an Israeli court released the settler involved in the shooting incident. In a separate event, Israeli forces initiated a large-scale raid at dawn on Wednesday, targeting several areas in the West Bank. They raided Jenin, the Al-Ain refugee camp west of Nablus, and Bei
t Furik, arresting a young man, Muhammad Mleitat.

Local sources indicated that the forces also raided Al-Shuyukh, Hebron, and Nablus via the Deir Sharaf checkpoint. In Qalqilya, Red Crescent crews reported treating two injuries after an Israeli military vehicle ran over civilians during the raids.