Israeli military conducts new raids in West Bank as settler violence intensifies

Israeli forces have intensified military raids across the occupied West Bank, targeting cities including Nablus and Ramallah, in a new wave of violence that coincides with widespread attacks by extremist Israeli settlers operating under military protection. 

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported on Sunday morning that around 10 Palestinians were wounded during the latest Israeli raid in the Old City of Nablus this morning. 

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), ten individuals suffered suffocation due to tear gas inhalation and were treated at the scene.  

The PRCS also reported that a 16-year-old boy, Mujahid Akoub, was shot during a raid on the Old City, stating he was struck by live ammunition in the foot. 

According to al-Araby al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic-language news site, three 10-year-old children from the village of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus, were arrested on Sunday.  

Meanwhile, in the Ramallah governorate, Israeli forces stormed several villages and towns, including Bil'in, Ni'lin, Safa, Kafr Ni'ma, Al-Mughayyir, and the Jalazone refugee camp. 

The latest Israeli raids come as forces continue a months-long offensive in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, now entering its fourth month.  

The campaign has involved systematic bulldozing, demolitions, and acts of vandalism, according to Palestinian media. 

 Israeli troops have also reportedly forcibly prevented displaced families from returning to their homes or even inspecting their property in the Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps, reportedly opening fire on anyone who attempts to approach the area. 

The war in Gaza has triggered a surge in Israeli military operations across the occupied West Bank, resulting in the killing of hundreds of Palestinians and the displacement of tens of thousands. 

 This escalation has coincided with a sharp rise in settler violence.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, on Saturday night, Israeli settlers began paving a new settlement road on land belonging to residents of Al-Mughayyir, a village northeast of Ramallah.  

WAFA reported that armed settlers, accompanied by bulldozers, had been working through the night to construct the road, which lies just 500 metres from village homes.  

The route is expected to link nearby settlement outposts to the so-called "Alon" settlement road, in attempts to further entrench Israeli control in the area. 

On Sunday, a series of settler attacks were reported by Palestinian media across various parts of the West Bank. 

In the Jericho and Jordan Valley governorates, settlers destroyed a sheep barn measuring approximately 200 square metres, owned by Ibrahim Ali Suleiman, along with a water tank used for drinking and livestock breeding in the Arab al-Malihat community near al-Mu’arrajat, northwest of the governorate, according to WAFA. 

In the Nablus governorate, settlers also set fire to around 40 dunums of wheat fields in the town of Sebastia, northwest of the area.  

The farmland was reportedly owned by Palestinian residents Muhammad Basil Muhaibish and Mufid Rashid Shiha. 

Additionally, the Israeli army told Army Radio on Sunday that clashes broke out in the village of Bruqin in the northern West Bank, following reports that Jewish settlers had set fire to a house and assaulted several Palestinians. 

Residents of Bruqin reported facing a series of brutal attacks this week, including the burning of vehicles and damage to homes, amid growing settler violence.  

The village lies near the settlement of Bruchin, where a pregnant Israeli settler, Tzeela Gez, was killed earlier this month. 

The Israeli military said it had also received a report last Thursday alleging that several Israelis had vandalised property in the area. Following Gez’s killing, Israeli forces imposed a strict lockdown in and around Bruqin. 

This week, the army announced it had killed the alleged attacker during a search operation, claiming he had previously served time in prison for being a member of Hamas. Several other individuals were also arrested for allegedly aiding the attack. 

Since the incident, Palestinians in the area have reported a sharp increase in settler violence, including arson attacks on cars, stone-throwing, the use of incendiary devices, and the bulldozing of land owned by Palestinian residents. 

Mustafa Khater, a resident of the village, told the Associated Press (AP) that settlers attacked and vandalised his home on Thursday, forcing him to evacuate his wife and four children the following day on Friday. 

However, he said he chose to stay behind to protect their property. 

"We’ve been suffering since Wednesday from settler attacks and assaults- verbal abuse, stone throwing and constant harassment at all times," Khater stressed. 

Earlier this month, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged Israel to halt extrajudicial killings and the unlawful use of force against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for accountability and justice for all unlawful killings.