Israeli raids continue in occupied West Bank
Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting several Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank:
- The military stormed the Balata refugee camp and the Rujeib area, east of Nablus, and surrounded a house. No arrests were reported.
- Soldiers conducted a raid in the town of Tuqu’, south of Bethlehem.
- Live ammunition was fired at several homes and vehicles during an overnight raid on the town of Bruqin, west of Salfit.
Israeli settlers set fire to homes with people inside in West Bank village
Israeli settlers have set fire to homes while families were still inside, according to Palestinian media reports about an arson attack on a village in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli army raids school, demolishes homes in occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have raided the al-Tahadi school in the Ibziq village, northeast of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported. The chief of the village said that Israeli soldiers stormed the school and filmed there while also taking pictures of residents’ tents in the area, the report added.
Meanwhile, the refugee camps of Tulkarem and Nur Shams remain under Israeli control after the army launched a major operation in the north of the Palestinian territory nearly four months ago.
In the past 24 hours, according to a separate Wafa report, Israeli forces conducted raids and arrests in Tulkarem while they carried on with the demolition of more than 20 buildings in Nur Shams camp.
“This is part of an Israeli plan to demolish 106 buildings in the city’s two camps (58 in Tulkarem and 48 in Nur Shams), with the aim of clearing roads and changing the geographical features of the two camps,” it added.
Israel’s Smotrich says it is ‘time for sovereignty’ over occupied West Bank
Israel’s far-right finance minister has instructed the government to begin work “towards the implementation of sovereignty” following meetings with settler groups in the occupied West Bank, he said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, Smotrich also urged the Bank of Israel to offer services to illegal Israeli settlers under foreign sanctions. “We are changing the face of the settlement not just as a slogan but as a practical act,” Smotrich said.
“The Settlement Administration will formulate an operational plan for the application of sovereignty, and we will not stop until the entire territory receives its full legal status and becomes an inseparable part of the State of Israel,” he said.
Despite being illegal under international law, Israeli settlements have surged in recent years in the occupied West Bank, creating a major barrier to a future Palestinian state.
