Occupation escalates in the West Bank: raids, arrests, and gunfire

Israeli occupation forces launched a wide campaign of raids and incursions in several cities and towns in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, which included arrests, gunfire, detaining citizens and interrogating them in the field, raiding dozens of homes, tampering with their contents, and mistreating residents. The campaign covered Qalqilya, Tulkarm, Jenin, Nablus, Bethlehem, Hebron, Salfit, and al-Bireh. The forces arrested a number of family members of martyrs, including fathers and sons. A Palestinian was also injured by a settler's bullet in the village of al-Minya, and settlers carried out provocative tours in the northern Jordan Valley.

Israeli occupation forces launched a wide campaign of raids and incursions in several cities and towns in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, August 13, 2026, which included arrests, gunfire, detaining citizens and interrogating them in the field, along with raiding dozens of homes, tampering with their contents, mistreating residents, and detaining them for hours, while settlers continued their attacks in various areas. In Qalqilya, the forces entered the city from its eastern entrance, raided a number of homes and shops, and confiscated surveillance camera recordings from one shop. They also fired live bullets at young men in the Kafr Saba neighborhood, raided homes of martyrs' families, and arrested several of their members, including the father of martyr Jamal Abu Haniyeh, Ibrahim Abu Haniyeh, and his son Muhammad; the father of martyr Jibril Jibril, Ghassan Jibril, and his son Ashraf; the father of martyr Tariq Dawoud, Ziyad Dawoud, and his son Maher; and the father of martyr Ali Abu Khalil, Mahmoud Abu Khalil. Additionally, the young man Muhammad Abu Haniyeh was arrested after his home was raided. In Tulkarm governorate, the raids targeted the towns of Qaffin, Bal'a, 'Illar, and Sayda, where the forces raided several homes and arrested Muhammad Naim Tu'ma in Qaffin, freed prisoner Ahmad Fani in Sayda, and Zuhair Imad Tuqatqa in 'Illar. In Jenin, the forces stormed the eastern area after a special unit infiltrated and besieged a house in the al-Bayadir area, before military reinforcements arrived, resulting in the arrest of two young men, one of them Abdul Rahman Abu Alia, while raids continued in the al-Zahra neighborhood and other areas, and also raided the town of al-Jadida. The raids extended to the towns of Aqraba and Burqa in Nablus governorate, where the forces beat a young man after raiding his home in Burqa. In Bethlehem governorate, the forces raided the towns of Beit Fajjar and al-Minya southeast of the governorate, while local sources reported a Palestinian injured by a settler's bullet in the village of al-Minya. Hebron governorate also witnessed raids on al-Arroub camp, Wadi al-Shaykh area, the city of Dura, and the town of Tarqumiya, amid a military presence and home raids. The campaign also included the town of Far'ah in Salfit governorate and the city of al-Bireh. In parallel with the raids, settlers carried out provocative tours in Khirbet Samra in the northern Jordan Valley, and others threw stones at vehicles and young men at the entrance to the town of Kafr Laqif east of Qalqilya.