Israeli minister orders wider West Bank offensive as settler pogroms intensify

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military to prepare to seize another Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, signalling a further expansion of Israel's military campaign as troops and settlers carried out fresh raids, home demolitions, arrests and attacks across the territory on Tuesday.

The directive followed a week of escalating violence around the village of Tal, southwest of Nablus, where four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed on Friday after armed Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians on their land. 

The Israeli military increasingly believes one of its own soldiers was killed by friendly fire during the incident.

Following the incident, Katz instructed the Israeli military to expand operations in the occupied West Bank and prepare to take control of another refugee camp, following previous incursions into Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams, where thousands of Palestinians have been displaced during months-long military operations. 

The announcement came as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir renewed calls for sweeping punitive measures against Palestinians.

"For every Jew who is murdered, the enemy must absorb the loss of lands and homes," Ben-Gvir said, calling for Palestinian towns where attacks on Israelis originate to be treated in the same way as Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, which has been almost entirely destroyed during Israel's military campaign.

The comments have fuelled fears among Palestinians that Israel is preparing to further expand military operations and accelerate ethnic cleansing across the occupied West Bank.

On the ground, Israeli forces demolished three Palestinian homes, carried out dozens of arrests across multiple governorates and continued demolitions and land seizures, while settlers attacked Palestinians and their property in several areas.

Homes demolished in Ramallah and Hebron

In the village of Shuqba, west of Ramallah, Israeli bulldozers demolished the home of Mahmoud Bilal Hassan on the grounds that it lacked an Israeli-issued building permit.

Khalaf Qadah, head of Shuqba village council, told The New Arab that the single-storey home was occupied when it was demolished.

He added that around 90 homes in the village have received demolition or stop-work orders from Israeli authorities.

Further south in the Hebron governorate, Israeli forces demolished two homes in the village of Deir Razeh, east of Dura, belonging to Ayman Yasser Amr and Riyad Abd Amr, according to local activist Mansour Akhleel.

Israel routinely cites the absence of building permits when demolishing Palestinian homes in Area C of the occupied West Bank, where permits are rarely granted to Palestinians, according to human rights organisations.

Settler attacks continue

In al-Minya, southeast of Bethlehem, Palestinian resident Iyad Abdul Halim Shalaldeh sustained moderate head injuries and bruising after Israeli settlers allegedly assaulted him with an iron pipe, according to local sources.

In Khillet al-Hummus, south of Yatta, settlers attacked the home of Khairi Abu Tuhfa, assaulting members of his family and spraying them with gas, local activist Osama Makhamra said.

Israeli forces later arrested Abu Tuhfa and his two sons, Mohammad and Qusai, despite their injuries, following the settler attack.

The assaults came days after settlers burned farmland, attacked villages and killed Palestinians around Nablus, amid what Palestinian officials describe as an escalating campaign of settler violence carried out under the protection of the Israeli military.

Raids and arrests across the occupied West Bank

Israeli forces carried out raids overnight across the occupied West Bank, arresting Palestinians in Tulkarm, Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Qalqilya and Bethlehem.

In Tulkarm governorate, troops arrested Adham Abu Khadija, customs officer Amjad al-Fahmawi, Suhaib Imad Sarhan, Usayd Abu Hadid, Uday al-Tanib, Mohammad Amer and Qassam Atir during raids across the city and surrounding towns.

In Jenin, Israeli forces raided Jalbun village before arresting former prisoner Abdul Rahman Abu Khadr in Jenin city and Mohammad Abu Khalifa in Deir Ghazaleh.

Israeli forces also entered Nablus before dawn with military vehicles, raiding homes and arresting Mazen al-Houh, Saad al-Sallous, Yahya Sharaf, Mohammad al-Qutb and Usayd al-Nananah.

Later in the morning, an undercover Israeli unit returned to the Old City alongside military reinforcements and arrested Aboud Saifan before withdrawing. Additional arrests were reported in Askar al-Balad and near Nablus Specialised Hospital.

In Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, Israeli forces arrested Rajab Ghannam from al-Amari refugee camp, Mohammad Badrain from Umm al-Sharayet and Mohammad Ibrahim Abu Ziyada after stopping him at a military checkpoint.

In Qalqilya, Israeli troops raided the headquarters of al-Huda Quran Radio, confiscated equipment and posted closure orders preventing it from reopening. Another Palestinian, Saed Jumaa, was arrested during a raid on Kafr Qaddum.

Raids were also reported in Tuqu', Husan and Beit Jala in the Bethlehem governorate.

The latest operations come as Israel continues to expand its military presence across the occupied West Bank, where military raids, settler attacks, home demolitions and land seizures have intensified sharply since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.