The Palestinian Municipality of Al-Bireh stated that gas bombs fired by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Thursday morning resulted in the outbreak of a fire in a flea market and Al-Bireh Commercial Centre.
Acting Mayor of Al-Bireh, Robin Al-Khatib, issued a statement confirming that more than 100 shops and stalls in the commercial centre were on fire, leading to the destruction of about 100 stalls of vegetables, fruits, clothes, shoes, etc. He added that the occupation obstructed the arrival of civilian defence crews for more than an hour, leaving the fire to spread to nearby buildings and shops.
Al-Khatib pointed out that the fire caused material losses estimated at tens of millions of shekels, noting that civil defence crews were able to extinguish about 70 percent of the areas affected by the fire.
Bombing and causing a large fire in shops greatly affects the lives of local residents and the economy, and is a flagrant violation of their right to live in peace and dignity, which requires the international community and human rights institutions to work on holding those responsible for these actions accountable, ensure justice is provided to those affected, and rebuild the destroyed buildings.
This crime calls for the urgent need to end the Israeli occupation and achieve international justice and human rights in the region.
It is noteworthy that the pace of raids and attacks taking place in the cities of the occupied West Bank has increased in conjunction with the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, which has left tens of thousands dead and wounded.
