The EU condemns the death of ten Palestinians during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus

22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The European Union has condemned the death of ten Palestinians, including a minor, during a raid by the Israel Defense Forces in the city of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, amid escalating tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

“The EU deplores the death of civilians and reiterates that the use of force must be proportionate, with full respect for Humanitarian Law, and only as a last resort when strictly unavoidable to protect lives”, the High Representative for EU Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell.

In this sense, he has indicated that the EU is “deeply” alarmed by “the spiral of violence in the West Bank” and has entrusted all parties to work “to restore calm and reduce tensions.”

“The EU firmly supports the presidential declaration of February 20 adopted by the UN Security Council and urges all parties to fully adhere to it”, it has ruled, referring to the merely symbolic text of condemnation against the Government of Israel for recognizing nine settlements in the West Bank.

The Israeli forces have entered a house this Wednesday in an operation to, presumably, look for the members of a terrorist cell linked to the death of a soldier in October 2022. After that, clashes have been unleashed that have resulted in at least least ten deaths and more than one hundred injured.

The spokesman for the Palestinian Authority presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, has blamed “the occupation forces” for committing new abuses and has called for help from the international community, while the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has expressed this Wednesday concern about the escalation of violence in Palestinian territory.