During a raid near the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Israeli army killed a 17-year-old Palestinian boy with a bullet to the head. Throughout the course of the last few months, raids have increased and there have been countless other teenagers who have been killed in the same brutal manner. The devastation from this conflict has been such that it is almost impossible to tally the lives ruined or lost since 2014.
Recent spurs of conflict were centred around the village of Kufr Dan; the Israeli army raided and wounded three Palestinian soldiers and killed several civilians including Odai Trad Salah. Such raids are part of the larger attempt to demolish homes and punish those who resist Israel’s forces, power and claim to the land. The situation has become so tense that recently, as many as 18 raids were carried out in which multiple families were made subjects of field interrogations and their homes were completely destroyed. Civilians are constantly living in fear of an attack and the constant threat of losing their lives or being displaced.
Within the last year, the Palestinian resistance has become more organised and systematic, thereby prompting Israel to launch deadly raids rather frequently. Most of these are centred near the areas of Jenin and Nablus where checkpoints have also been set up for greater scrutiny. Palestine’s health ministry has reported the deaths of up to 149 people who have been caught in the crossfire between the two states. Undoubtedly, the kind of damages incurred because of this is tremendous and if we factor in the fact that the conflict has been raging more severely since 2014.
The authority of the Palestinian state is constantly being undermined, and its people oppressed by the Israeli state. This erosion of control and sovereignty must be given more attention by the international community. We have come to a point where frequent news about raids and conflicts between Israel and Palestine has, to some degree, desensitised the masses. We must consider that there are countless men, women and children who are paying with their lives every single day and must take action accordingly.