Israeli forces and settlers carry out 1,872 attacks across West Bank in January

Nearly 1,900 Israeli force and settler attacks were recorded across the occupied West Bank in January, as demolitions, arrests and assaults intensified.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

03 February, 2026

Israeli army soldiers and an armoured vehicle deploy (top R) behind as Palestinian men and first-responders attempt to extinguish a vehicle that was set ablaze during an attack by Israeli settlers on Palestinians

Israeli forces have launched dozens of attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank in recent weeks [Getty]

Israeli forces and settlers carried out 1,872 attacks in January across the occupied West Bank, displacing 125 Palestinian families and destroying 126 buildings, with more structures slated for demolition, reports said on Tuesday.

According to Palestinian media, there have been recent attempts to establish nine new Israeli settlement outposts in the West Bank, while a further 40 demolition orders have been issued.

Mu'ayyad Sha'ban, head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said in a statement on Tuesday that many Bedouin families have been affected by the surge in attacks, which increased since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023.

He said the attacks range from physical assaults to the uprooting of trees, burning of agricultural land, blocking farmers from accessing their fields, seizing property and demolishing Palestinian homes.

The Al-Auja waterfall area was among the hardest hit, with 1,245 olive trees destroyed, dealing a serious blow to local farmers' livelihoods.

In Ramallah on Tuesday, Israeli forces carried out a wide arrest campaign, detaining at least 30 people, including three women.

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The Palestinian Prisoners' Society said those detained included Zahra Khadraj and her daughter, as well as another woman from Qalandiya refugee camp. Additional arrests were reported in Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarem, Ramallah and Jerusalem.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Palestinians released under the prisoner exchange deal with Israel have been targeted again by Israeli forces. Rights groups have described this as a violation of the agreement and evidence of systematic persecution.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, armed Israeli settlers attacked the homes of the Daghmeen family in Khirbet al-Kharaba, south of Hebron.

Reports said the attacks took place under the protection of Israeli forces and left several Palestinians wounded. A man and a woman also lost consciousness after being assaulted and sprayed with pepper spray, and were taken for medical treatment.

The developments come amid growing concern over attacks on holy sites. On Monday, multiple reports said more than 4,300 Israeli settlers entered Al-Aqsa compound throughout January as part of organised tour groups.

This comes as the Jerusalem governorate warned that the Israeli Knesset is taking official steps to restrict Muslim worshippers’ access to the site during Ramadan, despite this breaching its historic and legal status quo.

Since October 2023, more than 18,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel in the occupied West Bank, including around 1,500 children and 194 journalists.