Palestinians in the West Bank report widespread theft during Israeli army raids

In the village of Arura in the central occupied West Bank, 35-year-old Lamis Rayan said Israeli soldiers took more than 8,000 shekels (about $2,500) when they raided her home in October.

Rayan said her entire house was destroyed during the three-hour raid. "But what saddened me most was the theft of my children's savings," she said.

According to Rayan, soldiers broke her three children's piggy banks and stole their savings. Her eight-year-old daughter, Ilan, had been saving to complete the furnishing of her room. As the task force was exiting the house, one female soldier searched Rayan and took the last $200 she had on her.

Local authorities and citizens in occupied West Bank villages told The New Arab that Israeli forces have been confiscating valuables and cash during raids on houses in recent months. This comes as Israeli violence in the West Bank continues to escalate since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, with the expansion of settlements and the destruction of crops, land and private property.

The "ceasefire" in Gaza, which countless Israeli violations have marred, did not slow down the daily assaults endured by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. According to a UN December 5 report, more than 95,000 Palestinians were affected that week by the large-scale operations in Jenin and Tubas governorates.

Rayan, who has experienced numerous raids before—typically aimed at searching the house or making arrests—said this time was different. Her family, including her children, were interrogated about their income and where they kept their money during the raid.

Other families in Arura village reported similar incidents.

A newlywed man, who spoke to TNA on condition of anonymity, said soldiers stole the couple's wedding gifts and his wife's jewellery, amounting to $29,000. Another resident, Tayseer al-Arouri, 60, said soldiers took all the cash he had in the house, "and thanked me as they were leaving for saving their effort and bringing out the money when they asked."

Several residents said soldiers ordered them to gather all their valuables "for safekeeping" during raids—only to take them.

Among the worst hit by the surge of violations and thefts is the city of Jenin and its surroundings. Located in the northern occupied West Bank near the Green Line, Jenin has become a primary target for Israeli raids due to its proximity to Israel and its symbolic role as a stronghold of resistance.

Local authorities in four Jenin villages, as well as the main city, confirmed to TNA that Israeli forces have been confiscating civilian belongings. Local councils are documenting theft cases to report them to the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs, which vowed in November to return confiscated property and money to citizens.

In the village of Bartaa in northwest Jenin, soldiers looted homes during raids carried out since August, smashing property and vehicles.

Some residents described not only theft, but also the forceful takeover of homes to use as military outposts.

In Jenin's al-Jabriyat neighbourhood, Abu Alaa, in his 60s, said soldiers forced him and his wife out of their house at gunpoint in January and occupied it for close to a month.

"When I returned after 27 days, everything was destroyed," he said. By his count, the missing jewellery, valuable coins, and cash taken from the house total over $30,000.

Observers warn that the reported thefts could be a new tactic of asserting control and making life unbearable for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly alludes to his plans to annex the Israeli-occupied territory, where the Palestinian Authority currently exercises limited self-rule.

In September, Netanyahu raised international alarm by announcing his intention to annex parts of the occupied West Bank currently administered by the Palestinian Authority and declaring there would never be a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu was later forced by US pressure to halt legislation that would apply Israeli law in the occupied West Bank after it received preliminary approval in the Israeli parliament. Still, his statements reinforced fears among occupied West Bank residents that new military tactics are part of a broader effort to intimidate and drive Palestinians from the area.

The pattern of confiscations documented by local authorities suggests a systematic approach.

While house raids were not uncommon in the occupied West Bank, they usually served a specific purpose, like arresting an individual or searching the house, according to Israeli affairs expert Suleiman Basharat. He notes that raids now have no clear goal and deploy more violent tactics like vandalising the house and stealing valuables and cash.

Basharat said to TNA that the Israeli army has adopted harsher tactics since 7 October 2023, giving soldiers free rein and impunity with one goal: "to instil in the Palestinian citizen—as he sees his home looted and destroyed, his vehicle burned, his land confiscated or its trees uprooted and crops set on fire, and his livestock killed—the idea that there is no hope left for any stable life or future on this land or in any city across the West Bank."

This piece was published in collaboration with Egab.