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Nablus commemorates the Israeli invasion of 2002

April 10, 2017 at 1:53 am

Nablus city residents commemorated the 2002 Israeli invasion by showcasing a photo exhibition of the martyrs and those wounded during the invasion.

The residents of the occupied Palestinian city of Nablus commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Israeli re-invasion of the West Bank during the so-called “Operation Defence Shield” in April 2002.

Hundreds were killed as a result of the military operation and thousands more were wounded and displaced. There was also widespread destruction of Palestinian houses and facilities. Especially hard hit were Nablus’ historic Old City, Jenin refugee camp and both Bethlehem and the Nativity Church.

Nablus city residents commemorated the invasion with a series of activities every year. This year the activities included a photo exhibition which includes photographs of martyrs and those wounded during the invasion.

Former Palestinian prisoner and co-organiser of the commemorations, Omar Afana, told Quds Press that the invasion was an important stage in the modern history of the city, “the attack on Nablus, revealed the occupation’s true face which did not distinguish between civilians or a civilian buildings”.

Afana explained that the exhibition was intended to commemorate the events witnessed by the whole city, but in particular it highlighted the impact on the Old City, where the images show the scale of the destruction.

Another former prisoner, Mahdi Abu Ghazaleh, described the time when the Israeli army invaded the city saying: “Houses were bombed while the owners were still inside. Dozens of houses were destroyed and dozens of people were killed, including whole families. Some of the wounded were treated in field hospitals.”