Israeli troops storm West Bank town, surround mosque after shooting

Israeli forces on Sunday stormed the town of Biddu northwest of occupied East Jerusalem and surrounded the Abdullah bin Jaber Mosque while worshippers performed Asr prayers, the Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement. The raid came hours after a shooting attack killed an Israeli settler near the illegal Neve Tzuf settlement — also known as Halamish — located northwest of Ramallah. The governorate said troops surrounded worshippers inside the mosque during the evening prayer.

Suspect identified and arrested

The governorate identified Qadri Samara, a former Palestinian prisoner from Biddu, as the suspected shooter in the earlier attack near the settlement. Israeli forces later arrested Samara while he was wounded inside H Clinic Hospital in Ramallah after raiding the medical facility in large numbers, the statement added. The suspect was receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the alleged shooting incident when troops stormed the hospital.

West Bank violence surge

Violence has surged in the occupied West Bank amid escalating Israeli army raids and settler attacks against Palestinians and their property since the Gaza war began in October 2023. The occupied territory has witnessed near-daily incursions by Israeli forces and clashes with residents as tensions remain high across the region.