Israeli forces raided towns and detained dozens of Palestinians on Saturday. The operations came hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank following a shooting in Hebron that left two Israeli soldiers dead.
Israeli troops targeted at least 15 towns in the northern West Bank, including Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya. In Nablus, soldiers raided homes and carried out arrests in the villages of Jalud and Qaryut.
Arrests were reported in Arrabeh and Burqin near Jenin. Forces also entered Tubas and the nearby town of Aqqaba, and moved east into Jericho and the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp.
In Hebron, Israeli bulldozers demolished a three-storey building after affected families were given five minutes to collect their belongings. Troops ordered hundreds of Palestinian families to evacuate their homes in the Ein Deir Bahha area of Hebron and its surroundings.
Israeli forces surrounded the home of one of the suspects in the Hebron shooting and raided the al-Jalda neighbourhood. The Israeli army stated late on Friday that its operation in Hebron would last for several days, alongside operations in dozens of other West Bank areas.
The military lockdown involves closing nearly 1,000 checkpoints and gates across the territory, affecting millions of Palestinians. Netanyahu issued the order shortly after the military announced it had killed two Palestinian gunmen who attacked a reserve battalion near the Israeli settlement of Telem.
Israel’s ambulance service reported that three Israeli soldiers were injured in the attack alongside the two who died. All Israeli settlements, including Telem, are considered illegal under international law.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the deaths by calling for Israel to take full control of the West Bank. Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, said incitement from far-right Israeli ministers is worsening the situation.
Barghouti stated that the closure turns every city and village into a small prison. He warned that checkpoints and gates block healthcare, the economy and education, and that collective punishment will lead to explosions.
