Large forces from the Israeli occupation army stormed the city of Qalqilya in the northern occupied West Bank early Wednesday morning, carrying out a widespread campaign of raids and arrests targeting a number of citizens. Sources reported that the invading force was reinforced by approximately 16 military vehicles, in addition to foot units that spread out in several residential neighborhoods to secure the raid operations.
Israeli forces imposed a strict siege on the Nazal neighborhood within the city, completely closing its entrances and preventing movement before beginning to raid dozens of residential homes. The operation included harsh field investigations with residents, ending with the arrest of more than five Palestinians who were taken to unknown destinations amidst intense military reinforcements.
Incursions were not limited to Qalqilya but extended to various areas of the West Bank, where occupation vehicles raided Al-Fawwar refugee camp in the south, and Nablus city and Askar refugee camp in the north. These military movements come within the framework of the continuous escalation policy pursued by the occupation authorities against Palestinian cities and camps daily.
In a new crime by settlers, an extremist group set fire to the women's prayer area in a mosque in the village of Jaljulia, located in the central occupied West Bank, early Wednesday morning. The attackers spray-painted racist slogans in Hebrew on the mosque walls, causing a state of intense anger among the villagers who rushed to extinguish the flames.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that the fire caused severe damage to the contents of the prayer area and the external facades of the mosque before it was brought under control, noting that the village is subjected to repeated attacks. Settlers had carried out a similar attack last month targeting citizens' property and stealing their livestock under the protection of occupation forces.
Regarding field injuries, Palestinian journalist Moatasem Saqf Al-Hait was shot by the occupation army while covering clashes in the village of Deir Abu Mashaal, west of Ramallah. The clashes erupted after an attack by settlers on residents' homes, where occupation forces intervened to provide protection for the attackers and fired live ammunition at press crews.
In the town of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, medical sources reported that a 15-year-old girl was shot in the shoulder by occupation soldiers during the incursion into the town. The girl was transferred to a Ramallah hospital for treatment, where her condition was described as stable despite the seriousness of the injury's location, which targeted the upper part of her body.
Occupation forces continued to impose a tight military cordon on the town of Al-Mughayyir, closing all its main and secondary entrances to citizens and vehicles. This closure coincided with an intensive deployment of military vehicles and indiscriminate firing of tear gas canisters and live ammunition, leading to cases of suffocation among residents.
Areas of friction near settlements and settlement outposts in the West Bank are witnessing a significant escalation in arson and bulldozing operations and preventing farmers from accessing their fields. These attacks often occur under the eyes of the occupation army, which provides security cover for settlers to carry out their violations against Palestinian land and people.
According to the latest official data, the toll of the Israeli escalation in the West Bank since October 8, 2023, has reached catastrophic figures, with 1169 martyrs. Medical and human rights sources also recorded more than 12666 Palestinians injured by occupation and settler fire during the same period.
Human rights reports indicate that arrest campaigns have targeted approximately 23,000 Palestinians, while repressive policies and home demolitions have displaced nearly 33,000 citizens. These figures confirm the scale of the escalating humanitarian suffering in the West Bank in the absence of effective international oversight to curb these violations.
The West Bank is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in settler and Israeli army attacks targeting Palestinian existence and holy sites.
شارك برأيك
Widespread Escalation in the West Bank: Incursions Target Qalqilya and a Mosque Set Ablaze in Jaljulia