Israeli forces raid West Bank towns, fire tear gas causing suffocation

Israeli forces conducted widespread raids across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, storming multiple towns in the northern, southern and central regions while firing tear gas and stun grenades that caused several Palestinians to suffer temporary suffocation, according to official Palestinian media and eyewitnesses.

Raids in Bethlehem area

In the southern West Bank, Israeli troops stormed Beit Fajjar south of Bethlehem and took positions in the town center, where they fired tear gas and stun grenades. Several residents suffered temporary suffocation during the incident, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that soldiers exited their vehicles and pursued residents through the streets. East of Bethlehem, the army closed the main western entrance to Za'tara with concrete blocks, disrupting the movement of residents, WAFA reported.

Operations in northern West Bank

In the northern West Bank, Israeli forces stormed Ya'bad south of Jenin and raided several homes, WAFA stated. Occupation forces severely beat recently released prisoner Hazem Amarna, detaining him for a period before releasing him, the agency added.

The official Voice of Palestine radio reported that army raids also targeted the towns of Azzun east of Qalqilya, Salem east of Nablus, and Abu Falah east of Ramallah in the central West Bank. The broadcaster provided no further details on these operations.

Escalation since October 2023

The raids come amid an ongoing escalation by the Israeli military in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, including killings, arrests, and home demolitions. Attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the territory have killed 1,162 Palestinians, injured around 12,245, and led to nearly 23,000 arrests, according to official figures.