Battle 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 . 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 bomber s . 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 . 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 . Battle . 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 . 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 bulldozer s to clear away barricades . The Golani Brigade engaged the Palestinians in heavy street combat , forcing many to withraw 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 . 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 " . 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 . 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 . 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 , who would resume their attacks on the IDF after the withdrawal . Aftermath . 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 . The IDF also claimed to have exposed explosive labs . 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 . The United Nations estimated the property damage at $ 110m .