Israeli settlers have continued attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli forces detained dozens of people across the territory.
Settlers burned two cars in the village of Ein Yabrud, east of Ramallah, on Wednesday evening and sprayed slogans on nearby homes, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The slogans read “stop chasing Jews” and “Avi Bluth don’t mess with us”, the Times of Israel reported, adding that the message appeared to reference remarks by an Israeli military commander who recently denounced settler violence in the West Bank.
Settlers also stormed the al-Aqsa mosque compound under the protection of Israeli police, while restrictions were imposed on Palestinian access to the site, Wafa said. The compound, the third holiest site in Islam, was also stormed by settlers earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces carried out raids across the occupied West Bank, detaining at least 40 Palestinians, including a child and former prisoners, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society. The raids took place in Salfit, Jenin, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarm and Hebron.
As of December, around 9,300 Palestinians are being held in Israeli detention, including 3,350 under administrative detention and 350 children, the group said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that Israeli forces assaulted two Palestinians during a raid in Jenin, leaving them hospitalised, and that four others were wounded by Israeli gunfire during a separate raid in Nablus.
The escalation comes amid continued settlement expansion, prompting repeated warnings from the United Nations that Israel is undermining the prospects of an independent Palestinian state.
UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov condemned what he described as “relentless Israeli settlement expansion”, saying it “fuels tensions, impedes Palestinian land access, and threatens the viability of a contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State”.
He called on Israel to comply with international law, citing the International Court of Justice’s 2024 ruling that Israel end its illegal occupation of the West Bank.
Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA affairs for the occupied West Bank, also criticised Israel’s policies, particularly the decision to demolish 25 buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm, saying the destruction of Palestinian homes “makes no one safer”.
“The forced displacement of more than 32,000 Palestinian refugees in the northern West Bank must not become permanent,” Friedrich said, referring to Israeli operations in the Jenin, Tulkarm, Nur Shams and El Far'a refugee camps.