Palestinian Forces Prevent Israeli Patrol From Entering Al-Khalil

Palestinian Forces Prevent Israeli Patrol From Entering Al-Khalil
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Palestinian Forces Prevent Israeli Patrol From Entering Al-Khalil

Palestinian Forces Prevent Israeli Patrol From Entering Al-Khalil

Palestinian and Israeli forces clashed on Friday in the first dispute between the two sides since the cessation of security coordination between them, sources said.

On Thursday, an Israeli patrol tried to enter the city center of Al-Khalil (known as Hebron), when Palestinian forces blocked their passage, preventing them from accessing the city.

The Israelis sent for an additional force but were met with a stringent Palestinian position.

Minutes later, and after consulting its leadership, the patrol decided to withdraw in order to avoid an escalation.

Observers considered the incident as the first sign of tension after the interruption of security coordination – one of the measures adopted by the Palestinian leadership to face Israeli plans to annex areas in the West Bank.

While Israeli authorities tried to reduce the significance of the incident, Fatah movement, which broadcast a video of the dispute, said that the situation on the ground would change in the wake of the cessation of the security coordination.

Palestinian sources stressed that its decision to halt coordination would not mean that the security in the West Bank would no longer be under control.

“The Palestinian leadership, instead, will focus on enforcing the rule of law in favor of the Palestinian state,” the sources emphasized.

In Israel, the former commander of the Israeli forces, General Gadi Shamni, warned of the consequences of stopping coordination.

In an interview with the Israeli army radio on Friday, he said that “cooperation with the Palestinian Authority is essential to thwart terrorism, and without it, there is a risk of escalation of armed operations and clashes.”

Meanwhile in Washington, a group of 18 Democratic senators addressed a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, warning against the consequences of unilateral annexation of West Bank lands.

The senators expressed “grave concern” over the Israeli government’s agreement “to consider unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory as early as this July.”

They stated that such move would hinder a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

The UN aid chief said Wednesday that recent "horrifying scenes" of Gazans being killed while seeking food aid were the result of "deliberate choices that have systematically deprived" them of essentials to survive.

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of its facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centers were "considered combat zones".

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates.

On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.

"The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

"Emergency medical teams have confirmed treating hundreds of trauma cases. Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire.

"This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive."

He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children," said Fletcher.

The GHF began operations a week ago, but the UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Meanwhile the United Nations has described the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, as a trickle.

"We must be allowed to do our jobs: we have the teams, the plan, the supplies and the experience," said Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"Open the crossings -- all of them. Let in life-saving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in.

"Ensure our convoys aren't held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire."