Israeli killing of Palestinians leaves Ramallah residents in fear

On December 13, Sarah, a teacher from Palestine’s Ramallah, in occupied West Bank, woke up as she does on any ordinary day. But she realised everything had changed shortly after rumours started spreading in her school that Israeli soldiers were about to ‘take over’ Ramallah. 

Hours earlier than the usual end of the school day at 2.30 pm, parents rushed to pick up their children, fearing they would not be able to reach their homes. All the shops in the city were shut early. 

Meanwhile, three Palestinians were killed in the West Bank during Israeli raids. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said one of them was wanted for a drive-by shooting in the east of Ramallah in October, near the illegal Israeli settlement of Ofra, which resulted in the death of two Israelis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to legalise thousands of settlements in the West Bank, illegal under international law, two days before the recent Israeli raid. 

“It seemed like there is an invasion,” Sarah tells TRT World. 

People had already been taking to the streets in other parts of the city when a fourth Palestinian was killed by the Israeli forces in a separate operation. 

The Israeli army reportedly fired tear gas, sound bombs and bullets to disperse Palestinian protesters in Ramallah. On the same day, Israel announced it would block the exits of Ramallah as it declared the city a closed military zone. 

Christina, a freelance writer based in Ramallah tells TRT World that the aftermath of the lockdown by Israel is isolation and panic. 

“Ramallah is a centre of life for a lot of people and its the main area where a lot of the ministries and governmental departments are, a lot of people move back and forth for paperwork etc,” Christina says. 

“The exits and entrances to the city were closed leaving hundreds of people stuck. The community opened its houses to those stuck to stay over until they can go home.”

Praising ‘Palestinian resistance,’ Hamas called on Friday for a ‘day of rage’, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the violence. 

Hamas is has been controlling the besieged Gaza Strip since 2006, while its long-time rival, the Palestinian Unity Government, led by Fatah, rules the occupied West Bank. 

Sarah, worried that she might be stuck if Israeli soldiers come to her area, and with no cars left to take her back home, was able to rush to her family after leaving school. The governor’s office said it would arrange accommodation for anyone who needed a place to stay due to the Israeli blockade.

“We’re all scared,” she says. “My sister visited us yesterday. Even though she lives close, she stayed over because she didn’t feel it was safe driving,” she says. 

The IDF arrested 56 people across West Bank and Jerusalem on Thursday morning. At least 40 more were arrested in overnight raids. 

Protests continued in the West Bank on Friday. Palestinian Authority security forces also reportedly attacked and arrested protesters in West Bank’s Hebron.

Tensions have been high in West Bank since last year, when US President Donald Trump unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the decision to move the US embassy there. Israeli forces often conduct raids in the West Bank to capture Palestinians.

For Christina, the recent seal off of Ramallah by Israel was not only ‘a reaction’ to the shooting attack, it has a wider meaning: collective punishment.

• Sarah’s name has been changed to protect her identity.