In a rare instance of intra-Palestinian conflict, a member of the Islamic Jihad, Ahmed Abu al-Foul, was killed by Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. The incident, which occurred during a nighttime patrol, escalated when the security forces were reportedly fired upon and returned fire, resulting in al-Foul’s death.
According to Palestinian Authority security services spokesperson Talak Dweikat, the security personnel were responding to gunfire which led to the fatal shooting of the gunman. Al-Foul later succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. This event has sparked controversy, with local armed group Tulkarm and Nour Shams Camp Brigades labeling the killing as an “Israeli-style assassination.”
Omar Abu Al-Foul, a member of Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), was killed after Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces opened fire on his car in Tulkarm, West Bank last evening. pic.twitter.com/pmwqbmj1qE
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) May 2, 2024
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group classified as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States and the European Union, claimed al-Foul as one of its members. The group condemned the action, comparing it to tactics typically attributed to Israeli forces.
This clash comes at a time when the region is already tense, following extensive military engagements between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and ongoing instability in parts of the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party, remains at odds with Hamas, which seized Gaza from the PA in 2007 following a violent coup.
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