West Bank Raids: Palestinians Injured, Arrested Amidst Escalating Israeli Military Operations

Israeli forces and settlers have intensified their actions across the occupied West Bank, engaging in raids that have resulted in injuries, movement restrictions, arrests, and home demolitions for Palestinians. This escalation coincides with a week-long military offensive and siege in the Hebron governorate, which has displaced hundreds of Palestinian families and disrupted education for tens of thousands of students.

In the Qalandiya refugee camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem, a raid on Thursday led to clashes and the injury of two children. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported treating a 15-year-old boy shot with live ammunition in both legs and a 12-year-old child hit by live-bullet fragments; both were hospitalized. Separately, in the village of al-Maniya, southeast of Bethlehem, Israeli soldiers and settlers reportedly beat disabled Palestinian Mohammad Ahmad Ayesh Thawabta, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The northern West Bank saw Israeli forces detain 13 Palestinians, including three brothers, in pre-dawn raids on Thursday, as reported by the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office and local sources. The majority of these operations occurred in the Nablus governorate, where homes were searched and families subjected to harassment.

The offensive in Hebron, which began last week following the killing of two Israeli soldiers, has continued. Both Palestinian suspects in that incident were also killed. Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin stated on Thursday that 537 families, totaling 3,361 individuals, have been displaced from their homes. This group includes 232 infants, 326 elderly individuals, 147 pregnant or breastfeeding women, and 213 people with chronic illnesses. Municipal figures indicate that approximately 5,000 people from 780 families are affected, including those under siege. The offensive has also impacted education, with an estimated 262,000 students across 589 schools in the governorate forced into remote learning. Daily economic losses are estimated between 10 million and 12 million shekels ($3.2m to $3.9m).

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society reported that Israeli forces detained 110 Palestinians in the Hebron governorate between Friday and Wednesday. Soldiers reportedly beat two men in Dura and Wad al-Saman, and arrested two brothers east of Yatta while they were working on their land. Raids on homes in Taffuh and Halhul also occurred, and settlers attacked vehicles near the city's closed northern entrance.

In Masafer Yatta, armed settlers attacked US journalist Jasper Nathaniel and two activists in the village of Umm al-Khair on Wednesday. Russian activist Adele Shoko reported on X that the settlers assaulted and threatened them, stole their equipment, and pepper-sprayed and arrested Nathaniel. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed ongoing Israeli operations in Hebron, characterized by blocked access and severe movement restrictions, which disrupt Palestinians' access to livelihoods, education, and healthcare. OCHA noted that most displaced families are staying with relatives and called for the prevention of further forced displacements and demolitions.

Additionally, Israeli forces demolished memorials to Palestinians in several areas of the Hebron governorate on Thursday. In Dura, south of Hebron city, soldiers used tear gas before bulldozing a mural depicting several of the town's deceased, including Bajis Abu Atwan. Al Jazeera's Muntasir Nassar, reporting from Dura, described the targeting of memorials as a potentially new pattern adopted by Israeli forces across the West Bank, with a higher frequency observed in Hebron. These Israeli military and settler attacks have intensified across the West Bank since the commencement of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023.