Israeli soldiers invaded, on Friday at dawn, Balata refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, killed two resistance fighters, and injured two others, one seriously. The brigades vowed retaliation.
Soldiers exchanged fired with resistance fighters of Al Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fateh movement, after surrounding the camp and invading it, a local source reported.
Two fighters identified as Ala’ Al Teerawi, one of the prominent leaders of the brigades in Nablus, and Jamal Jeremy were killed; Mohammad Qartawi was seriously injured in his chest in addition to a fourth fighter who suffered moderate wounds.ÂÂ
An Israeli military source reported that one soldier was injured during the gun battle, adding that soldiers arrested eleven residents in the camp during the invasion; some of the arrestees were injured during the gun battle. ÂÂ
An Israeli military spokeswoman reported on Friday that soldiers invaded Balata and Askar refugee camps in Nablus, in a predawn operation on Friday.
The spokeswoman stated that the invasion is part of the continuous offensive against resistance fighters in the West Bank.
Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced the death of its fighters using loud speakers and vowed retaliation.
On Thursday, Israeli soldiers assassinated three fighters of Al Aqsa Brigades in Jenin; Zakariyya Zobeidi, leader of the brigades in Jenin said that the brigades will not be committed to the truce, and will retaliate in Israel.
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, slammed the continuous military offensive and in the occupied West Bank, and called on the resistance factions to remain committed to the truce.
“This Israeli military escalation is putting the entire peace process in real jeopardy’ Abbas said, ‘We call on Israel to stop its offensive, especially since all our factions have committed themselves to the cease-fire, the fighters also agreed to stop all military parades and public displays of weapons.’
Meanwhile, senior American officials said that the American President, George Bush, will demand Abbas to carry strict procedures in order to control the security situation in the Gaza Strip.
Abbas is scheduled to visit the White House on October 20, 2005.
