AL-MUGHAYYIR, Palestinian Territories: Dozens of residents of a village in the occupied West Bank on Sunday laid to rest a teen killed by Israeli army fire the previous day, according to Palestinian authorities.
Mourners carried the body of Palestinian Hamdan Abu Aliya, his head wrapped in a traditional keffiyeh scarf, through the streets of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, and chanted nationalist slogans.
“With our souls and our blood, we will redeem you, martyr,” they said during the procession for the 18-year-old, waving Palestinian flags and banners of the Fatah and Hamas movements.
Late Saturday, the Palestinian health ministry announced the “martyrdom of Hamdan Musa Muhammad Abu Aliya... by (Israeli) occupation forces in the town of Al-Mughayyir.”
In response to an inquiry by AFP, the Israeli army said “terrorists” threw stones and Molotov cocktails at its troops during a security operation in the area, and soldiers “responded with fire.”
When the body of Abu Aliya arrived at the family home for a final farewell, his father Musa Abu Aliya said he had a message for the world: “Enough betrayal, enough humiliation, enough insult.”
“No matter how many they kill, time is on our side. It is impossible for us to give up our land,” the father added.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the war broke out in the Gaza Strip following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Since then, at least 971 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, according to figures from the Palestinian health ministry.
During the same period, at least 36 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.
Palestinians bury teen killed by Israeli army near Ramallah
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Palestinians bury teen killed by Israeli army near Ramallah
Syrian and Lebanese presidents discuss border security after Hezbollah strikes hit west Damascus
- Ahmad Al-Sharaa expresses Syria’s absolute support for Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm the Iran-backed militant group
LONDON: The Syrian president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, and his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun, discussed border security on Tuesday.
It came as Syria accused the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah of massing reinforcements close to the border, targeting army positions in Syria, and launching artillery shells from Lebanese territory that landed near the town of Serghaya, west of the capital Damascus.
During his conversation with Aoun, Al-Sharaa expressed his absolute support for the Lebanese government’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Depriving the group of its weapons was a crucial step in efforts to strengthen the sovereignty of Lebanon and protect the region from the consequences of ongoing armed conflicts, he added.
The two leaders also emphasized the need for joint action to ensure the safety of the Syrian people.
Thousands of Syrians who fled to Lebanon to escape the 13-year civil war in their country have returned home since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, and the spread of the conflict to other parts of the Middle East.
Israel has launched strikes against Israel and several Arab countries in the region, while Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran which the UK and other nations consider a terrorist organization, has also fired into Israel.
Israeli forces have hit back against Hezbollah with strikes on southern Lebanon and southern Beirut, and its forces have occupied key areas south of the Litani River.
