Tens of thousands mourn 6 Palestinian killed by Israel in occupied West Bank

Thousands of Palestinians have poured into the streets of Nablus city, in the occupied West Bank, to take part in the funeral of six Palestinians killed on Tuesday by Israeli soldiers in a rare military assault in recent years.

The mourners denounced the Israeli killings and violence, and carried the Palestinian flag and black banners during the procession.

Wadi al-Houh, 31, Hamdi Sharaf, 35, Ali Antar, 26, Hamdi Qayyim, 30, and Mishaal Zahi Baghdadi, 27, were all killed in the Israeli violence while another 20 people were injured.

Meanwhile, Qusai Tamimi, 19, was also killed by soldiers in Nabi Saleh village, north of Ramallah, during clashes that erupted to protest the army assault on Nablus. He was laid to rest in his village.

Palestinian sources said that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Nablus, followed by heavy military reinforcements, while hysterically opening fire at citizens in the city.

According to Wafa news agency, "sounds of shooting and explosions were heard and columns of smoke and flames were seen emanating from several neighborhoods" after Israeli forces stormed the Old City of Nablus during early hours of Tuesday, searching for members of the Lions' Den resistance group.

Meanwhile, clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers at different contact points in the West Bank during which the soldiers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the Palestinian protesters causing several minor injuries.

Israeli aggression in the West Bank has been on the rise in the wake of the increasing activity of the Lions’ Den resistance group, which seems to cause frustration to the Israeli apartheid regime.

Observers say Israel is afraid of turning the resistance phenomenon of the Lions’ Den resistance group (known in Arabic as Arin al-Osoud) into a widespread phenomenon throughout the West Bank; therefore, it has been escalating its attempts to destroy the resistance group and its activity and arresting its members.

The occupying regime has conducted widespread arrests, assassinations, attacks on Palestinians, pursuit of the resistance forces and efforts to end any resistance.

At least 180 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the illegally occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip since the beginning of the year.

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