Israeli settlers attack, loot Palestinian homes near Bethlehem: Report
A group of Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinian homes in the village of Kisan near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
Wafa news agency reported that the settlers, under protection from the Israeli army, broke into Palestinian homes and looted them.
So far this year, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded more than 1,000 Israeli settler attacks across the West Bank that caused casualties, damaged property or both.
Israeli forces raid Ramallah and el-Bireh
The Israeli army has raided several areas in the Ramallah and el-Bireh governorate in the occupied West Bank, days after launching a prolonged raid on the area, the Wafa news agency reports.
The military raided the towns of Kafr Malek, Nilin and Deir Qadis without conducting arrests. Earlier this past week, Israeli forces stormed a currency exchange shop in an area between the cities of Ramallah and el-Bireh, detaining at least three Palestinians.
Israeli army assaults and settler violence have been on the rise in the West Bank since October 2, 2023, as Israel continues to relentlessly pound Gaza.
Palestinians wounded after gunfire reported in areas of Hebron
Footage circulating online, which has been verified by Al Jazeera, shows intense and continuous gunfire in areas south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Wafa reported that five Palestinians, including a girl, were wounded by Israeli bullets and taken to hospital for treatment. More people also suffered from suffocation after Israeli soldiers fired tear gas.
Israeli settlers injure more Palestinians in West Bank, child arrested in Jenin
As Israeli soldiers shot Palestinians during raids on southern Hebron in the occupied West Bank, settlers were also launching another violent attack nearby.
A Palestinian man and his wife were injured during a settler attack on the Khallet al-Daba village in Masafer Yatta, according to Wafa, which also said the Israeli settlers detained a number of Palestinians before taking away three men with them.
In Jenin, Israeli soldiers arrested a child and a young man after raiding their homes in the town of Yabad.
Israeli forces also fired bullets and sound bombs and set up a military checkpoint at the entrance to Surra village, southwest of Nablus.
Israel destroying Islamic antiquities beneath Al-Aqsa Mosque: PA
The Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem Governorate reports that leaked videos have revealed unauthorised excavation and demolition operations being carried out by Israeli authorities under the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
“These operations deliberately target Islamic antiquities dating back to the Umayyad period, which stand as living witnesses and irrefutable evidence of Muslims’ rightful claim to the site,” it said in a statement, referring to the rule of the Islamic caliphate that started in the year 661 and ended in 750.
It said Israel is destroying the Islamic archaeological landmarks with the aim of removing the historical identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque in favour of the future construction of a Jewish temple at the site, adding that the excavations are conducted away from any international oversight.
The organisation called it a “crime and a blatant violation of international laws and agreements protecting artefacts”.
Israeli forces make more arrests as new raids hit Nablus, Ramallah
Israeli raids are ongoing in the southern areas of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, with Wafa reporting that a 37-year-old Palestinian man was arrested and his vehicle seized by Israeli soldiers in the town of Beit Fajjar.
Several more towns and villages in the area were attacked as well, but no further arrests have taken place so far.
In Nablus, Israeli soldiers attacked the village of Sarra and the town of Sebastia, firing live ammunition and sound bombs without any injuries reported.
But in the town of Nilin in Ramallah, a 25-year-old man was arrested during an incursion. More raids took place in the village of Nabi Saleh northwest of Ramallah, and the towns of Silwad and al-Mazraa ash-Sharqiya to the east of the area.
