Security forces prepare for possible clashes in West Bank and Jerusalem after ceasefire
Police prepared for possible unrest in East Jerusalem on Friday following Hamas’ claim to victory after the recent spate of fighting between Israel and the Gaza-based terror group.
Border police forces in East Jerusalem, particularly around the Old City and at the entrance and exit of some Palestinian neighborhoods, would inspect and question those coming and going, public broadcaster Kan reported.
The Hamas terror group claimed victory on Friday after Israel officially announced that it had agreed to a ceasefire, ending the 11 days of fighting.
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Palestinians wave the flags of the terrorist group Hamas after afternoon prayers for the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City on May 7, 2021. (Jamal Awad / Flash90)
Palestinian terror groups have linked rocket fire from Gaza – which ceased on Friday – to unrest in Jerusalem over both prayer on the Temple Mount during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the imminent expulsion of a number of Palestinian families of Sheikh Jarrah. district.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces are also reportedly bracing for possible violence, amid fears of clashes with the military after Friday prayers.
In Hamas stronghold cities, such as Hebron, the terrorist group plans to celebrate “the victory of the resistance” according to Kan.
Palestinians celebrate in the streets following an Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the ruling terrorist group Hamas in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on May 21, 2021 ( Abed Rahim Khatib / Flash90)
On Thursday, the IDF announced that border police units, initially operating in the West Bank, which had been dispatched to the central Israeli town of Lod to help with local unrest, were to return to their original mission.
Local tensions in Lod have eased considerably since last Saturday after police began mass arrests of those implicated in the riots, and the Shin Bet internal security agency said it would assist in efforts to prevent the rioting. violence between Jews and Arabs.
The Shin Bet said on Friday it had arrested a number of Jewish suspects in connection with the May 13 murder of an Arab in Jerusalem.
The victim, in his twenties, was seriously injured in the attack, which security services said had a nationalist motive.
The Ynet news site posted images of the immediate aftermath of the attack which apparently showed a crowd of right-wing youths assaulting police at the scene.
Violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem has increased dramatically since terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip began firing rockets at Israel in the latest wave of violence.
Illustration: Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli security forces near the Hawara checkpoint, south of the West Bank city of Nablus, on May 18, 2021 (Nasser Ishtayeh / Flash90)
On Sunday, seven border police soldiers were injured, two of them moderately, in a car-ramming attack in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, a flashpoint in Jerusalem.
As of Friday, at least nine Palestinians in the West Bank were also killed by live Israeli fire during heavy clashes with the IDF, the Palestinian Authority‘s health ministry said. Palestinians threw stones, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at several locations in the West Bank, according to the IDF.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.