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Thousands of Palestinians March against Nablus Massacre

Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers near Nablus on Friday. (AFP)
Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers near Nablus on Friday. (AFP)
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Thousands of Palestinians March against Nablus Massacre

Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers near Nablus on Friday. (AFP)
Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers near Nablus on Friday. (AFP)

Thousands of Palestinians furious over deadly Israeli raids in Nablus this week held midnight marches on Friday throughout the West Bank.

Protesters took to the streets in response to a call for demonstrations by the Lion’s Den group.

Clashes ensued between the protesters and Israeli forces that tried to disperse them. Dozens of Palestinians were wounded.

A group of armed settlers from a nearby outpost descended on the village of Qusra and Palestinians went into the street to see what was happening late Thursday, said Ghassan Douglas, the Palestinian official who monitors Israeli settlements in the Nablus region.

After midnight, one of the settlers opened fire at the residents, hitting one man in the stomach and another in the thigh. Douglas said the shooting was unprovoked.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the two injuries were serious.

The Lion’s Den called on Thursday Palestinians to take to the streets to show loyalty to the 11 martyrs of the Nablus massacre committed by Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, retired Israeli commander Lt. Col. Yaron Buskila commented that the third intifada has begun.

“The path of this intifada could lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority if Israel fails to take adequate deterrence measures,” he warned.

Nablus was the scene of an Israeli military raid that set off a fierce gunbattle on Wednesday, killing several Palestinians, including two men aged 72 and 61, and a 16-year-old boy, and wounded scores of others. Palestinian militant groups claimed six of the dead as members.

The bloodshed extended one of the deadliest periods in years in the West Bank, where dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the year. Palestinian attacks on Israelis in 2023 have killed 11 people.

Following Friday prayers at the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Palestinians chanted and protested against the deadly raid in Nablus, as well as a crackdown on Palestinian prisoners by Israel’s right-wing government.

The northern West Bank in particular has seen a surge of settler attacks. Many villages in the area have gradually become sandwiched between settlements and unauthorized outposts that house particularly ideological settlers.

Last month, leading Israeli human rights group B'Tselem recorded a string of incidents near Nablus — from settlers attacking Palestinians with stones in Qusra to torching Palestinian cars in Aqraba. Earlier this month, a settler shot and killed a Palestinian in the farming town of Salfit.

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Arab World

Violence in Southern Syria Fueled by Tribal, Sectarian Tensions

A military training course for reconciliation factions within the Eighth Brigade, backed by Hmeimim, in Busra al-Sham, eastern Daraa (Archive – Ahrar Houran Gathering). 
A military training course for reconciliation factions within the Eighth Brigade, backed by Hmeimim, in Busra al-Sham, eastern Daraa (Archive – Ahrar Houran Gathering). 
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Violence in Southern Syria Fueled by Tribal, Sectarian Tensions

A military training course for reconciliation factions within the Eighth Brigade, backed by Hmeimim, in Busra al-Sham, eastern Daraa (Archive – Ahrar Houran Gathering). 
A military training course for reconciliation factions within the Eighth Brigade, backed by Hmeimim, in Busra al-Sham, eastern Daraa (Archive – Ahrar Houran Gathering). 

Amid escalating lawlessness and revenge killings in Syria’s Daraa province, the Internal Security Forces leadership has dismissed at least 200 personnel for committing “behavioral violations and transgressions inconsistent with the institution’s values and principles.”

In an official statement, authorities announced the launch of a comprehensive reform plan aimed at training staff and improving professionalism, pledging zero tolerance for misconduct that damages the security agency’s reputation or exceeds legal authority.

These measures follow growing unrest in Daraa and Suwayda, sparked by clashes at a checkpoint in Al-Masmiyah, north of Daraa, along the Damascus–Suwayda highway. Checkpoint personnel were accused of abuse, extortion, and arbitrary fees imposed on passing vehicles.

According to residents, many of the checkpoint guards are former members of the Eighth Brigade - once overseen by Russia and Military Intelligence - and have continued practices reminiscent of the old regime, including intimidation and extortion. After the government’s collapse, they were incorporated into the new security forces through tribal and family connections to avoid accountability for past crimes.

Locals say these abuses are often driven by tribal and sectarian rivalries, further eroding trust in the security apparatus.

On Tuesday, reinforcements from Damascus attempted to take control of the Al-Masmiyah checkpoint but were met with armed resistance, prompting authorities to close the highway to protect civilians. In Al-Sanamayn, security forces deployed to six locations after a surge in killings.

One grieving mother recorded a video plea to Syrian President Ahmada al-Sharaa, demanding justice for her son, who was shot dead while praying. She revealed that two of his brothers and their father had also been killed.

The Violations Documentation Office of the Ahrar Houran Gathering reported 17 assassinations by unknown gunmen in Al-Sanamayn since the regime’s fall. Meanwhile, Daraa 24 Network documented 38 killings in June alone - double the toll in May - including 23 civilians, with violence ranging from shootings to disputes and accidents involving weapons misuse.

According to Ahrar Houran, many of the killings are carried out by armed groups exploiting tribal conflicts once fueled by the previous regime, alongside frequent kidnappings, robberies, and sporadic abuses by security personnel.

The Internal Security leadership pledged to continue reforms, enforce discipline, and improve training to restore public trust, emphasizing that professionalism and respect for the law remain top priorities in rebuilding the security institution.