Israeli forces detained at least 70 Palestinians during raids across the West Bank on Saturday, while eight others were injured in a separate attack in the Palestinian territory. The incidents came amid heightened tensions following a deadly attack near an Israeli settlement and a subsequent Israeli military operation targeting Palestinian communities.
Israeli forces detained at least 70 Palestinians during raids across the West Bank on Saturday, according to Palestinian media reports and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. The operations were carried out across several areas of the occupied territory, while separate violence left eight Palestinians injured.
The official Voice of Palestine radio reported that Israeli forces detained more than 40 young Palestinian men during an ongoing raid in the town of Tell, west of Nablus in the northern West Bank.
According to the report, Israeli troops seized a residential building in Tell and converted it into a field interrogation centre. Forces also carried out extensive searches of homes while surrounding the town from multiple directions.
Israeli operation expands across West Bank
The raids followed an order from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz for a “wide-scale military operation” in Palestinian villages across the West Bank after an attack near the Havat Gilad settlement killed two Israeli soldiers and injured three others.
Following the attack, Israeli occupiers reportedly targeted several Palestinian communities in the Nablus governorate. Witnesses and local sources said homes and other property were set on fire during the attacks.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that four Palestinians were killed on Friday during attacks by Israeli occupiers and Israeli forces in the town of Tell.
Meanwhile, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces carried out widespread raids before dawn in Jenin city and several towns and villages across the governorate.
Troops searched multiple homes and detained five Palestinians, while military operations continued in several areas. Separately, Israeli forces detained three Palestinians in the Bethlehem governorate.
Palestinians injured in separate attack
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said eight Palestinians were injured in an attack by Israeli occupiers in the village of Farata, east of Qalqilya in the northwestern West Bank.
The organisation said six people suffered gunshot wounds from live fire. It did not immediately provide further information about the circumstances of the attack or the condition of those injured.
In northern West Bank areas, Israeli forces detained at least six Palestinians during raids across Jenin neighbourhoods and surrounding towns amid increased military deployments.
The Israeli army also raided Tubas and the Al-Far’a refugee camp, conducting searches of Palestinian homes as part of a wider military campaign.
In the central West Bank, Israeli forces detained 13 Palestinians in areas across the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate.
In the southern West Bank, troops carried out raids in Hebron and detained eight Palestinians.
The latest operations come as tensions continue to rise across the West Bank, with increased military activity, arrests and clashes reported in several Palestinian communities.
