Israeli forces arrest 9 people in West Bank raids
Israeli forces have carried out another wave of overnight raids and arrests in the occupied West Bank. According to the Wafa news agency, they:
- arrested six people while raiding several towns near Bethlehem;
- arrested two people in the town of Halhul, near Hebron;
- stormed the Am’ari refugee camp near Ramallah and arrested a man after searching his home;
- raided several homes in the village of Beita, near Nablus, damaging residents’ property and deploying snipers on their rooftops.
Israel sets up new illegal settlement neighbourhood near Hebron
Ten families have recently settled in a new neighbourhood near the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank, the Israel Hayom newspaper reports.
The new neighbourhood, called Aviad, marks the first Israeli expansion in the Kiryat Arba area in decades.
The Kiryat Arba Council said the settlement aims to “sever the geographical connection between Palestinian lands from Hebron to the Negev Desert and strengthen the connection” between Israeli settlements in the area.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
Jewish Agency chairman cancels South Africa trip over arrest fears
Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Doron Almog, has cancelled a planned visit to South Africa over concerns he could face arrest, the organisation was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.
The agency believes anti-Israel activists may seek his arrest in South Africa, which is leading a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Almog, a retired Israeli general, is related to several people who were taken captive on October 7, 2023.
