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On Friday morning, 24 July, the town of Tell, southwest of Nablus, witnessed not just a passing raid, but a legendary tale embodied by the heroism of an unarmed young Palestinian man.
Amidst the smoke and gunfire targeting Palestinians, the young man, Farouq Adnan Ali Ramadan, bravely stepped forward, creating an extraordinary scene in the history of popular resistance in the West Bank.
Clash at point-blank range:
The events began when groups of settlers attacked the eastern part of Tell. Residents confronted them and forced them to retreat. Just half an hour later, the settlers returned, supported by Israeli military vehicles, and stormed the western area near the Havat Gilad settlement outpost. Clashes and hand-to-hand combat erupted between unarmed residents and armed settlers.
At that critical moment, amidst the indiscriminate gunfire directed at the residents, Farouq Ramadan advanced steadily and without hesitation, breaking through the wall of fire to directly confront one of the settlers’ security personnel and guards at the outpost. In a swift and direct physical confrontation, Farouq managed to forcibly seize the automatic weapon from the guard’s hand.
Not content with disarming the assailant, Farouq immediately shifted from a defensive position to confront the source of the fire, directly firing at the settlers and occupation officers in defense of the town of Tell and its inhabitants. This confrontation resulted in the death of an Israeli officer with the rank of major and a soldier from the Jerusalem Brigade, and the wounding of others, completely disorienting the attacking force.
Four Martyrs from One Family
In response to this operation, which shook the occupation’s security apparatus and led to the closure of Nablus and the imposition of a curfew, the occupation forces brought in massive reinforcements and opened fire indiscriminately, resulting in the martyrdom of Farouq Ramadan.
Farouk Ramadan’s heroism was not an individual act, but rather one etched in the blood of four members of the same family who stood firm against the massacre. Alongside Farouk, three of his relatives and cousins—Imran Ahmed Ali Ramadan, Ibrahim Hussein Ali Ramadan, and Jawad Hussein Ali Ramadan—were martyred defending their home.
Impact of the Operation and the Occupation’s Panic
Farouk Ramadan’s bravery sparked panic within the Israeli political and security establishment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers in his government convened emergency meetings, while the Israeli army announced the deployment of additional battalions, imposing a complete security cordon around Nablus and Tell, and storming the Nablus Specialized Hospital.
The Israeli army announced that its forces were preparing to carry out a large-scale operational activity in the West Bank, adding that soldiers’ leave had been canceled and troop deployments throughout the West Bank had been reinforced.
Farouk Adnan Ramadan and his cousins departed, leaving behind an extraordinary scene that will remain in the memory of Tell and the West Bank, and one that the occupation will also long remember. Aljazeera
