Child Found Playing with Grenade on Riverbank in Chandpur

In Baluchar, along the riverbank in Matlob North Upazila, Chandpur, a child was seen playing with an unexploded grenade, local residents reported. Upon noticing the incident, they immediately informed the police.

Both the military and police promptly responded to the scene, recovering the grenade and securing it in a safe location.

The grenade was recovered on Saturday, 27 September, based on information provided by local residents to the Matlob North police station.

According to local sources:

• The military’s bomb disposal unit is scheduled to neutralise the grenade through controlled detonation tomorrow.
• Witnesses observed the child playing with the grenade throughout the day after finding it on the riverbank.
• Many locals speculate that the grenade is very old, likely from a previous conflict or leftover stock.

OC of Matlob North Police, Md. Robiul Haque, stated: “Upon receiving the alert from the locals via the emergency number 999, the police and military rushed to the scene. The grenade has been secured in a safe place, and tomorrow the bomb disposal unit will neutralise it through controlled detonation.”

Lieutenant Zabid Hasan, Operational Officer of the Chandpur Military, added: “Upon receiving the information, our personnel promptly reached the site and recovered the grenade. The bomb disposal unit has already been notified and will safely detonate the device tomorrow.”

Response and Safety Measures

• Local residents were quick to alert authorities, preventing a potentially dangerous accident.
• The coordinated response between police and military ensured the safe recovery and storage of the explosive device.
• The scheduled controlled detonation by the military bomb disposal unit will eliminate any remaining risk.

This incident underscores the importance of vigilance in communities, especially where unexploded ordnance may still exist from previous conflicts, and highlights the effective emergency response of law enforcement and military units.

Israel Detains Palestinians in Nablus, Reopens West Bank–Jordan Crossing

The Israeli military conducted an overnight raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, detaining several Palestinians, an AFP journalist at the scene reported on Friday.

An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the operation, stating that: “Forces operated in the Nablus area to apprehend several suspects involved in terrorist activities.”

The spokesman added that the detainees were subsequently transferred to Shin Bet—Israel’s domestic intelligence agency—for questioning.

A Hamas official indicated that the raid targeted a wide range of people, including former prisoners, journalists, academics, and members of the Legislative Council.

“These detentions will only fuel public anger,” said Abdul Rahman Shadid, a Hamas representative in the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.

Violence has escalated sharply in the West Bank since the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing Gaza conflict.

The figures, reported by respective health ministries and authorities, reflect the intensifying cycle of violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups.

Meanwhile, the Allenby border crossing, the only international gateway for Palestinians leaving the West Bank without entering Israel, reopened on Friday—though three hours later than scheduled.

• The crossing had been largely closed following an incident in which a Jordanian truck driver transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza shot dead an Israeli soldier and a reserve officer at the border last week.
• On Tuesday, Palestinian and Jordanian authorities reported that Israel was indefinitely closing the crossing, which many Palestinians feared was retaliation for France and other Western countries formally recognising a Palestinian state.
• Israel announced on Thursday that the crossing would reopen only for passenger traffic starting the following morning.

At approximately 11:00 am (0800 GMT) on Friday, Palestinian travellers confirmed the reopening. Thousands of people had gathered at the terminal to cross, according to an AFP journalist on site.

In a fiery address to the United Nations on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his opposition to a Palestinian state, accusing European leaders of encouraging what he termed “national suicide” and rewarding Hamas.

This latest round of detentions and the reopening of the border crossing underscores the ongoing tensions in the West Bank and the complex interplay between security measures, humanitarian access, and diplomatic pressures.Top of Form