‘It’s going to explode’: young Palestinians look to the gun amid Israeli offensive

Israel's Operation Breakwater aims to reduce the enemy's ability to attack, but seems to be galvanising a new generation of fighters

There is almost nothing left of the Ottoman-era house in the old city of Nablus where Ibrahim al-Nablusi, an 18-year-old fighter with the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, made his final stand against the Israeli army.

Every inch of the remaining walls and ceiling is pockmarked by bullet holes; witnesses said that after a gun battle lasting hours, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) used shoulder-launched rockets to blast open the metal doors. The missiles brought down heavy stonework that crushed the immensely popular young Lion of Nablus", wanted for shooting attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians.