Another day, another funeral: Anger grows as the Palestinian death toll spirals in the West Bank

As the families of Mohammed Aliyan and Mahmoud Makleh mourn their deaths, they tell Kim Sengupta that they have learned to live with suffering but that Israel’s actions will only breed more fury

Mourners rally on the way to the funeral in the West Bank (AFP via Getty Images)

Another day, another funeral. More Palestinians killed in raids by Israeli military on the West Bank. Anger grows as bodies pile up. This time it was two young men shot dead in front of their homes when troops entered a refugee camp to carry out arrests. There were public outpourings of grief, declarations of defiance, expressions of bitterness and anger – not just towards Israel, but also the US and Britain.

The violence in the West Bank continues to escalate by the day with the atmosphere growing increasingly tense and toxic. At the same time, the influence of Hamas continues to spread along with violence and intimidation by settlers. Some 700,000 of them now in the Palestinian Authority-run area – who have begun acting with seeming impunity given the climate of outrage in Israel.

Israeli forces are also in frequent action, now using 65-tonne Merkava tanks, Apache helicopter-gunships, attack drones and F-16 fighter-bombers in skirmishes in urban areas. The latest clashes were at Jalazone camp, north of Ramallah in the early hours of Monday morning. Mohammed Aliyan, 20, and 21-year-old Mahmoud Makleh, were both shot in the head, their families say.

Arrests are on the rise too – the number exceeding 100 across the area overnight, bringing the total to 1,200 in the West Bank since the Hamas assault across the border 16 days ago.

Some of the clashes have been the result of aggressive actions of settlers, Palestinians say. In the space of 36 hours, thirteen Palestinian were killed when a raid by Israeli forces in the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem turned into a prolonged firefight on Thursday. Drones and Apaches were called into action, five children fell victim. Elsewhere, two people died when missiles from warplanes hit Al-Ansar mosque in Jenin.

The father, Saef Makleh, left, and uncle of Mahmoud Makleh (Kim Sengupta/The Independent)

The raid on Nur Shams was to arrest four Hamas gunmen who had attacked settlers earlier in the year, according to the Israeli military. The strike on the mosque was to eliminate members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad plotting an imminent attack.

Western officials charting the situation in Gaza say they are extremely surprised by the belligerent and punitive stance of Israel which already faces the possibility of a second front in the north if Hezbollah opens hostilities when the land operations start.

“One would have thought they wouldn’t one serious trouble in the West Bank as well. But it appears they feel they can handle that. They are carrying out raids for supposed offences quite a time back in the past. One was for something that happened in 2021”, said one official.

“The mass arrests are of anyone who seem to have any connection with Palestinian groups deemed to be threats. The idea seems to be that taking these people off the streets will break the back of any future resistance.”

The two dead men, Mahmoud Makleh, left, and Mohammed Aliyan (Kim Sengupta/The Independent)

The operation in Jalzone was “targeting terrorists”, Israeli security forces insisted. Both they and local people say the soldiers were met with gunfire as well as youths throwing stones.

Speaking to The Independent, the families of Mohammed Aliyan and Mahmoud Makleh insisted that the two men were not engaged in any violence and left their homes to find out what was going on. Mohamed’s father, Nihal Aliyan, said “my son had an ordinary life. He had a good job as a carpenter. He was not involved in any trouble. But they killed him and now he is a martyr. That is what happens around here; the Israelis come into our community, kill people and get away with it.”

Mahmoud’s father, Saef Makleh was adamant the shooting of his son was unprovoked. “Mahmoud saw Mohammed getting shot. They have been close friends since they were boys. He ran out to drag him away and they shot him, they shot him on the head.”

More than 2,000 people attended the funeral of the young men. Among the crowd there appeared to be as many green flags of Hamas as yellow ones of rivals Fatah, the main party in the West Bank. Also present, though fewer in number, were the black flags of Islamic Jihad.

Among the crowd there appeared to be as many green flags of Hamas as yellow ones of rivals Fatah, the main party in the West Bank. Also present, though fewer in number, were the black flags of Islamic Jihad. (Kim Sengupta/The Independent)

After readings from the Quran and Hadith, the eulogies over the graves were about the sacrifices of martyrs. Virulent castigation of Israel was followed by denunciation of “Biden and America, Britain and all the others who encourage these murders.”

Accusations of complicity of the West was a constant refrain. Saef Makleh wanted to stress “How would a father in America and Britain feel if this happened to their son? They would feel great sorrow like me. So why do they allow their governments to back Israel like this?

“We have learned to live with suffering. What happened to my son is happening to thousands of people in Gaza. Others will take the place of the ones martyred. You cannot oppress people for generations and not expect them to rise up.”

Such anger promises more funerals. More bloodshed, more martyrs. Three handfuls of soil thrown on graves, as is Islamic tradition, and only darkness at the end of a long tunnel.