Hamas, Islamic Jihad denounce PA over killing of fighter in West Bank

The Palestinian armed groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas condemned the Palestinian Authority for killing an Islamic Jihad fighter in the West Bank on Thursday, a move that further inflames tensions in the volatile territory.

What happened: Al Jazeera Arabic reported early Thursday morning that a member of the Saraya al-Quds’ brigade in Tulkarm was killed by Palestinian security services gunfire. Saraya al-Quds is Islamic Jihad’s armed wing.

The spokesperson for the PA’s security services, Talal Dweikat, said that an individual opened fire on their forces during a patrol in Tulkarm. According to him, the forces returned fire and injured the shooter, who was brought to the Rafidia hospital in Nablus for treatment, the PA’s official WAFA news agency reported. Reuters reported that the individual succumbed to his wounds in the hospital.

Islamic Jihad identified the victim as Tulkarm brigades fighter Ahmed Abu al-Foul and said he was killed by Palestinian security services gunfire in an assassination. The group called the shooting a “crime that serves the Israeli enemy” in a statement carried by the Hamas-affiliated Safa news agency.

Islamic Jihad spokesperson Mohammad al-Hajj Musa denied Dweikat’s account of the incident. In a statement to Safa, he called the remarks “false,” saying Foul was unarmed and that there was no exchange of fire.

Footage circulated on Palestinian social media on Thursday purportedly showing Foul’s body being brought to the Tulkarm camp.

The killing of Foul was additionally condemned by Hamas in a statement, according to Safa.

Why it matters: The incident comes at a time of significant instability and unrest in the West Bank. Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups are a regular occurrence in the territory, as are attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers. The violence has escalated since the start of the Gaza war in October.

Fighting between Palestinian groups, however, is relatively rare but has happened recently. In early April, there were clashes between the Tulkarm brigade and PA security forces. Fatah accused Iran of stoking unrest in the West Bank following last month’s clashes. Iran is a major supporter of Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

The PA is relatively unpopular in the West Bank. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found in a March poll that 12% of people in the West Bank support Fatah, compared with 16% in December and 26% in September before the war. In comparison, 35% support Hamas in the West Bank, down from 44% in December but up from 12% in September, per the center.

Elections have not been held in the Palestinian Territories since 2006, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas canceled the vote that was scheduled for 2021.

Know more: The internal violence that occurred this month and last comes amid Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Last week, Fatah and Hamas held talks in China. In March, representatives of Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups met in Russia for similar talks.