2002 Israeli assault on the city of Nablus
The
Battle of Nablus
was fought from April 5 to April 8, 2002 in the
Palestinian
city of
Nablus
in the
West Bank
between the
Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) and Palestinian forces, as part of
Operation Defensive Shield
in the
Second Intifada
. It resulted in an Israeli victory.
Prelude
[
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]
Of all the West Bank towns, the
IDF General Staff
was particularly concerned about the expected resistance in Nablus, and especially in its
Casbah
.
Hamas
and
Fatah
had launched dozens of
suicide bombers
. Despite a previous successful raid on
Balata
, the General Staff still estimated hundreds of armed men would be entrenched in the city, causing the IDF heavy casualties. Two days after the start of Defensive Shield, an extension of the operation north of
Ramallah
, to Nablus and
Jenin
, was approved. Originally, the mission was given to a reserve division, but was later transferred to the more experienced
West Bank Division
. The division's commander, Brigadier General
Yitzhak Gershon
, received two regular infantry brigades, the
Paratroopers Brigade
and the
Golani Brigade
, along with a reserve armored division. A private contractor allowed the commander of the Paratroopers 890th battalion to use a construction site for training for three days.
[1]
There was a near-mutiny among one reserve armored platoon, who claimed they were not properly trained for
urban warfare
. High ranking armor officers eventually talked them into joining the operation.
[4]
Battle
[
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]
Israeli armored and infantry forces quickly occupied most of the city, with clashes taking place around
refugee camps
.
Israeli Air Force
attack helicopters fired rockets at Palestinian defenses in Nablus' main square and neighboring streets, but to minimal effect.
[2]
The Nablus
Casbah
was attacked by two battalions simultaneously, using two different fighting methods. The
Golani Brigade
pushed in using
Achzarit
armored personnel carriers and
armored bulldozers
to clear away barricades. The Golani Brigade engaged the Palestinians in heavy street combat, forcing many to withdraw to the western part of the Casbah, where they were attacked by the
Paratroopers Brigade
. The Palestinians in the Casbah were deployed in small squads, consisting of two to four men, with each squad in charge of a sector. Explosive charges were set between the alleys and shooting positions were taken.
[4]
Nasser Badawi, an
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
commander, said "We are waiting for the Israelis to get out of their armored vehicles and fight us on the ground".
[2]
The Paratroopers advanced by sending several small forces at the same time to take over houses in the Casbah and confuse the Palestinian fighters. Often, the Palestinians would expose their positions to Israeli military snipers by firing at Israeli forces in another direction.
[4]
Palestinian commander
Ahmed Tabouk
was among those killed by sniper fire. On April 8, the Palestinians announced their willingness to surrender. The acceptance of the surrender was postponed by two hours, during which the Paratroopers killed more Palestinian fighters.
[3]
According to a later lecture by the Paratroopers Brigade commander, Colonel
Aviv Kochavi
, Israeli Chief of Staff (
Ramatkal
)
Shaul Mofaz
, was unhappy with the fact that two other Palestinian towns,
Qalqiliyah
and
Tulkarm
, had surrendered almost without Palestinian casualties. Mofaz argued that it was better not to leave armed men in Nablus (per
Oslo Accords
), who would resume their attacks on the IDF after the withdrawal.
[
citation needed
]
Aftermath
[
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]
About seventy Palestinian fighters and eight civilians were killed. At least one IDF officer was killed by friendly fire. Hundreds of Palestinians were arrested. High ranked wanted persons, such as
Nasser Awais
of Fatah and
Husam Badran
of Hamas fled east to
Tubas
. They were arrested a week later.
[3]
The IDF also claimed to have exposed explosive labs.
[5]
According to
UNESCO
, hundreds of buildings were affected. Sixty-four were severely damaged, seventeen of which had "particular heritage significance", including the
Abd al-Hadi Palace
. Four buildings were completely destroyed.
[6]
The
United Nations
estimated the property damage at $110m.
[7]
References
[
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]
Bibliography
[
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]
External links
[
edit
]
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32°13′13″N
35°16′44″E
/
32.22028°N 35.27889°E
/
32.22028; 35.27889