Hundreds in Nablus mourn 19-year-old killed in largest raid since Jenin attack

Hundreds of Palestinians in Nablus took part, Thursday, 20 July, in the funeral of 19-year-old Badr Masri, who was killed by Israeli forces during a raid into the city at night.

Badr was pronounced dead early in the morning at the Rafidia hospital in Nablus, where his body was taken at noon in a massive funeral march through the city centre before being put to rest at the city's cemetery.

"Badr was a good boy; his mother and I were glad for him", his father told journalists at the funeral. "He was obedient and polite, and all his friends witnessed his good manners".

"He woke up late during the day and then went out to eat at some place, then I called him to see where he was", remembered the father. "He told me he was coming home in 15 minutes, and that was the last time I heard from him."

Badre Sami Masri, 19, was shot in the chest & killed by the Israeli occupation army this morning in Nablus. Stop Israeli #WarCrimes pic.twitter.com/jRh88CU4Zu

— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) July 20, 2023

The Israeli raid aimed at securing the entrance of Israeli settlers into the religious site of Joseph's Tomb in the eastern part of Nablus. Israeli forces regularly raid the eastern part of the city to secure settlers' entrance to worship at the site.

"Occupation forces entered through the Amman street firing large amounts of a very powerful tear gas, while young men came out to confront them with stones, Molotov cocktails and home-made explosive devices", Jamal Rayan, a human rights activist and resident of Nablus, told The New Arab.

BREAKING: Israeli occupation forces fired gas bombs at Palestinian journalists while covering the military raid into the eastern area of ​​Nablus. pic.twitter.com/mhzrVFqhuv

— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) July 19, 2023

"Soldiers took over several houses and placed snipers on rooftops while their military vehicles blocked the way in front of cars, including ambulances", he said.

"Badr was shot in the chest and was taken to the Rafidia hospital, where doctors tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him all night", he added.

Thursday's Israeli raid on Nablus was the largest in the occupied West Bank since Israeli forces' attack on Jenin in early July, which lasted two days and included Israeli use of air strikes, killing 12 Palestinians.

Nablus |

Our Palestinian fighters continue to defend the eastern parts of the city after Israeli occupation forces incursed Nablus to secure the entry of their fanatic settlers. pic.twitter.com/uhbmfVfpXe

— Younis | يونس (@ytirawi) July 19, 2023

However, Israeli raids on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank occur daily. On Wednesday, Israeli forces raided the refugee camp of Dheisheh in Bethlehem and arrested one Palestinian.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli military escalation in the West Bank has killed more than 206 Palestinians since the beginning of 2023.