Dozens of Palestinians have held a demonstration in the West Bank, to condemn the killing of five Palestinian fighters. Crowds rallied hours after Israeli troops attacked the fighters in the village of Deir al Ghoson.

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Israel-Gaza War

Five Palestinian fighters were killed during an Israeli raid in the West Bank village of Deir al-Ghoson, prompting dozens of Palestinians to hold a demonstration in protest. The crowds gathered to condemn the attack, which resulted from an Israeli military operation targeting the fighters. The operation was part of Israel's response to the activities of a group they labeled as a terrorist cell.

According to reports, the raid involved a significant number of Israeli troops amassing in Tulkarem before moving on to Deir al-Ghusn. The operation, lasting 15 hours, led to substantial damage in the village. Local residents expressed shock at the scale of the destruction, which was described as unprecedented in their experience. The Israeli forces reportedly made use of shoulder-fired rockets and drone strikes during the assault, subsequently employing bulldozers to demolish certain structures targeted in the raid.

The intensity of the confrontation led to the complete destruction of what was described as a multi-family home, leaving only rubble behind. Rescue workers and locals were seen sifting through the debris in a bid to find survivors or retrieve remains. The actions undertaken by the Israeli forces were conducted under the assertion that the targeted individuals were part of a terrorist cell responsible for the death of a settler the previous November. Hamas identified the deceased as members of its Qassam Brigade, framing the incident as a confrontation between Palestinian resistance fighters and Israeli military forces.

The operation and its aftermath are likely to have a lasting impact on the residents of Deir al-Ghoson, marking a significant escalation in the conflict while peace talks are reportedly taking place in Cairo.



Five Palestinian fighters killed during West Bank raid

Modern Israeli urban warfare brought to small-town Palestine. Dozens of Israeli troops amassed in Tulkarem before descending on Deir al-Ghusn in a raid that lasted 15 hours. The aftermath leaving little to the imagination. Residents here say they've never seen anything like it. I saw and heard all the clashes. It's something new for us, for the first time ever. Clashes like this and this violence, everything destroyed, it's miserable. Israeli troops took over the second floor of a house, concentrating firepower on a single two-story building. They ordered women and children to leave before launching shoulder-fired rockets and calling in drone strikes. Israeli bulldozers were brought in to finish the job. We're standing on the rubble of a building that stood here less than 24 hours ago. Neighbors say it was one of the larger ones in the area, a multi-family home. But the Israeli raid was so intense that this is all that is left. Rescuers and people are digging through debris and twisted metal in a desperate search to find anyone that might be left alive. After hours spent digging, some using their bare hands. All they were able to pull out were body parts. We've only seen this kind of destruction happening on TV in Gaza, and now we are seeing it in real life in front of us. By all accounts, this was a manhunt. An Israeli statement described the men as a terrorist cell they had been tracking for the killing of a settler in November. Hamas said they were Palestinian resistance fighters with the Qassam Brigade. As the two sides continue to face off over Gaza, and with delicate peace talks underway in Cairo, people living in this village will forever remember it as a place a handful of Hamas fighters made their last stand. Zain Basravi, Al Jazeera, Deir el-Hussein, The Occupied West Bank, Palestine.

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Israel-Gaza War