Israeli raid in West Bank's Al-Bireh wounds five Palestinians

Five Palestinians sustained injuries during an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank city of Al-Bireh on Monday, Palestinian medical sources confirmed. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported its teams provided field treatment for two children wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets and three individuals suffering from tear gas inhalation in the Sateh Marhaba area. This incident is part of a broader escalation of military operations across the territory.

Details of the Military Operation

Eyewitnesses described a significant Israeli force storming the al-Shurfa neighborhood in Al-Bireh, located near Ramallah. The troops closed the main entrance, deployed throughout streets, and imposed a tight siege on multiple residential buildings, severely restricting civilian movement. Confrontations erupted between the soldiers and local youths during the operation, which involved house-to-house searches.

Pattern of Escalating Raids

Monday's raid followed another earlier Israeli military action in the al-Jabriyat neighborhood near the Jenin refugee camp, where families were forcibly evacuated from their homes. This continues a pattern of intensified raids since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Last week, a major four-day Israeli military operation took place in the Tubas governorate, and the town of Qabatiya south of Jenin has been under curfew with homes converted into military posts.

Broader Context and Legal Opinion

The ongoing violence in the West Bank has resulted in over 1,085 Palestinian fatalities and more than 10,700 injuries from Israeli army and settler attacks since last October, with over 20,500 arrests. This occurs against the backdrop of a landmark International Court of Justice (ICJ) opinion from July, which declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.