Israeli forces detain dozens in West Bank amid settler violence

A wave of Israeli military operations swept through the occupied West Bank on Sunday, resulting in numerous Palestinian detentions and concurrent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian properties. The coordinated security actions targeted multiple governorates amid escalating tensions in the territory.

Widespread arrests across regions

According to the official Wafa news agency, Israeli forces detained at least 42 Palestinians in various areas of Salfit governorate in the northern West Bank during operations that began Saturday night. Additional arrests occurred in Nablus villages, where four individuals were taken into custody early Sunday, including one who sustained injuries during the apprehension. Further detentions were reported in Ramallah, Bethlehem, and East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, where soldiers physically assaulted a young Palestinian before taking him into custody.

Concurrent settler attacks

While military operations proceeded, groups of Israeli settlers conducted parallel assaults on Palestinian communities. In eastern Salfit, settlers destroyed four Palestinian vehicles, while others vandalized properties in the al-Masoudieh area of Nablus. Israeli forces additionally fired tear gas canisters toward residents in al-Lubban al-Sharqiya town, causing several cases of suffocation among local inhabitants. The Bethlehem arrests included two former prisoners whose homes were searched by Israeli troops.

Escalating West Bank tensions

The latest operations continue a pattern of intensified Israeli military activity in the West Bank that began with the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Current statistics indicate that more than 1,085 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 10,700 injured in attacks by both Israeli forces and settlers throughout the occupied territory. The arrest total has surpassed 20,500 individuals since the escalation began. These developments follow last July's International Court of Justice opinion that declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for settlement evacuations.