IOF carry out wide-scale raids across West Bank towns
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Israeli occupation forces carried out raids across West Bank towns on Monday at dawn, detaining several Palestinians amid ongoing settlement expansion plans.
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Palestinian farmer Kazem al-Hajj Muhammad checks the olive trees that were uprooted from his land following an Israeli military raid in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir, on August 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
At dawn Monday, Israeli occupation forces carried out a series of raids in the West Bank, storming multiple towns and cities, detaining residents, and ransacking homes. The operations targeted areas across the northern, central, and southern parts of the occupied territory, and come amid ongoing efforts by the occupation to expand illegal settlements in the region.
In the northern West Bank, Israeli raids in Qalqilya focused on the Kafr Saba neighborhood, while forces simultaneously stormed the town of Azzun to the east, and a young Palestinian woman was detained during the incursion. The occupation also carried out a raid on al-Zawiya, west of Salfit.
In Tulkarm, Israeli occupation forces raided the town of Deir al-Ghoson, detaining a young man after storming a residential building. Meanwhile, in the central West Bank, a separate raid in the town of Birzeit, north of Ramallah, also resulted in the detention of a young man.
Al-Khalil, Yatta stormed in the southern West Bank
In the southern West Bank, Israeli forces raided several areas in the al-Khalil governorate. Troops stormed the town of Beit Ummar to the north and the city of Yatta to the south, conducting searches of multiple homes.
In Nablus, forces carried out raids on both the city and the nearby Balata refugee camp, launching extensive search operations. No detentions were immediately reported, though local sources noted a heavy military presence throughout the area.
On Sunday, in yet another act of Israeli aggression, bulldozers, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, uprooted hundreds of trees in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir, AFP reported.
Most of the destroyed vegetation was olive trees, a cornerstone of the economy and culture in Palestine, where groves have long been flashpoints for confrontation between Palestinian farmers and encroaching Israeli settlers.
Local farmer Abdelatif Mohammed Abu Aliya told AFP he lost olive trees more than 70 years old on nearly one hectare of land, explaining, "They completely uprooted and levelled them under false pretences."
The Israeli occupation forces' operations are part of a broader pattern of daily incursions across the West Bank. These include arrests and home raids, often targeting youth and family homes. The raids coincide with the occupation's settlement expansion in the West Bank, where plans are underway to increase the settler population to one million in the coming period.
The Israeli raids in the West Bank continue to intensify, with coordinated operations across multiple governorates. As the occupation accelerates its settlement expansion strategy, the frequency and scope of these military actions have heightened tensions across the occupied Palestinian territories.
