Israeli forces have raided at least 15 towns across the northern West Bank and detained dozens of Palestinians, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a full lockdown of the occupied territory following an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.
The overnight and early morning operations targeted Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya, as well as surrounding villages and towns. Arrests and home searches were reported in several locations, while troops also entered Jericho and the nearby Aqabat Jabr refugee camp.
In the Nablus area, Palestinian homes were raided in the villages of Jalud and Qaryut. Arrests were also reported in Arrabeh and Burqin, near Jenin, while Israeli forces entered Tubas and the nearby town of Aqqaba.
West Bank lockdown ordered after Hebron attack
In Hebron, in the southern West Bank, Israeli bulldozers demolished a three-storey building after families were given five minutes to gather their belongings. Hundreds of Palestinian families in the Ein Deir Bahha area and surrounding locations were also ordered to leave their homes.
Israeli troops surrounded the home of one of the suspects in the shooting attack and carried out further raids in Hebron’s al-Jalda neighbourhood. The Israeli army said its operation in the city would continue “for several days”, alongside operations in “dozens” of other areas across the West Bank.
Israel’s military said two Palestinian gunmen had been killed after attacking a reserve battalion near the Israeli settlement of Telem. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and at least three others injured, according to Israel’s ambulance service.
Netanyahu ordered the closure shortly afterwards. Nearly 1,000 checkpoints and gates across the West Bank are due to be shut, affecting millions of Palestinians.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, said the restrictions would turn Palestinian communities into “a small prison”, disrupting healthcare, education and the economy. He warned that collective punishment “will lead to explosions”.
The measures come amid heightened tensions across the territory, including reported attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers on Palestinians harvesting olives. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for Israel to take full control of the West Bank.
Israeli settlements, including Telem, are illegal under international law.
