Israel raids towns, detains dozens of Palestinians in occupied West Bank

What the report says

Israeli forces raided at least 15 towns in the northern occupied West Bank on Saturday, detaining dozens of Palestinians, according to Al Jazeera correspondents. The operations followed a lockdown ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after an attack in Hebron that killed two Israeli soldiers. Towns and areas reported hit included Nablus, Jenin, Tubas, Qalqilya, Jericho and nearby camps and villages.

Al Jazeera reported arrests and home raids in places such as Jalud and Qaryut near Nablus, as well as Arrabeh and Burqin near Jenin. In the south, Israeli bulldozers demolished a three-storey building in Hebron and families in parts of the area were told to leave their homes. Troops also surrounded the home of one of the suspects in the Hebron shooting and carried out further raids in the city.

The Israeli army said it had begun an operation in Hebron that would continue for several days, alongside activity in dozens of locations across the West Bank. The closure was expected to shut nearly 1,000 checkpoints and gates, affecting movement for many Palestinians across the territory.

The developments came amid already high tensions in the West Bank, where violence around Israeli military activity, settler attacks and political calls for stronger measures has been escalating. The crackdown matters because it could further restrict daily life, access to work, schools and healthcare, and deepen instability in an occupied territory where movement is already heavily controlled.