Escalation in the West Bank: Nablus home besieged, demolition notices in Bethlehem, and widespread settler attacks

Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank today, Thursday, with the military operation focusing on the Khallet al-Amoud neighborhood. The forces imposed a tight security cordon around a residential home before raiding it, leading to the complete closure of the area and preventing civilian movement.

Field sources reported that the identities of those targeted inside the besieged home were not yet clear, and no final reports of injuries or arrests had been received. This operation comes at a time when Nablus markets and streets are experiencing active civilian movement during the daylight hours of the holy month of Ramadan.

In a related context, the occupation army stormed the village of Al-Deir, located southeast of Bethlehem, where military vehicles were positioned among civilian homes. The forces issued demolition notices for six homes, most of which are inhabited, under the pretext of building in unlicensed areas according to Israeli classifications.

Data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission indicates a sharp escalation in demolition policies, with occupation authorities carrying out approximately 59 demolition operations in January alone. These operations targeted 126 Palestinian structures, including 77 inhabited homes, with new notices concentrated in the Hebron Governorate.

Regarding settler attacks, an armed group attacked residents of Khirbet al-Tibyan in Masafer Yatta, southern West Bank. Settlers provocatively released their livestock into civilian fields and around their homes, and assaulted local residents, resulting in a woman sustaining bruises and minor injuries.

Following the settler attack, an occupation army force stormed the area and arrested a young man from the Abu Obaid family, instead of curbing the settler attacks. Another settler chased a Palestinian family while they were grazing their sheep in the Huwara area of Masafer Yatta, as part of the daily harassment of shepherds.

In Nablus Governorate, settlers stormed Khirbet al-Marajem, affiliated with the town of Duma, accompanied by herds of cattle, deliberately entering agricultural lands and pastures belonging to the residents. This move caused severe tension in the rural area, which is subjected to repeated settler attacks.

Al-Baidar Human Rights Organization warned of the repercussions of these direct provocations, noting that video documentation of these attacks shows the extent of the threat faced by residents. The organization affirmed that the goal of these practices is to pressure Palestinians to leave their lands and properties for the benefit of settlement expansion.

In the central West Bank, the occupation army demolished and confiscated a tent designated for Palestinian volunteers in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah. This tent was used as a refuge for popular protection activists who guard the town from settler attacks, both day and night.

Activists confronting settlement explained that the tent is located in an area classified as (B) according to the Oslo Accords, making its demolition an additional violation of laws. Despite the destruction of the tent, Sinjil residents affirmed their continued presence on the outskirts of the town to protect their families from repeated settler attacks carried out under army protection.

Young volunteers guarding the towns rely on simple tools and bare chests to confront armed settler groups. Residents confirm that the occupation army does not merely remain silent about settler crimes but provides them with security and logistical cover during their attacks on villages and towns.

Statistics indicate that there are approximately 770,000 settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, residing in hundreds of settlements and illegal outposts. These settlers carry out organized daily attacks aimed at the forced displacement of Palestinians and changing the demographic and geographic reality in the region.

Since the start of the comprehensive aggression in October 2023, the pace of killing, arrest, and destruction in the West Bank has escalated unprecedentedly. These policies have resulted in the martyrdom of 1,117 Palestinians and the injury of thousands, amid warnings of official Israeli attempts to annex the West Bank and undermine the chances of establishing a Palestinian state.

We face settler terrorism with our bare chests, and the Israeli army supports them and provides them with protection during their attacks on Palestinian cities and towns.