Israeli forces escalate West Bank raids, settlers burn crops
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Israeli raids hit Jenin, Nablus, and other West Bank areas as settlers torch Palestinian crops in al-Khalil amid growing aggression.
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Palestinians inspect a house destroyed by the Israeli army during a raid that killed five Palestinians in the West Bank village of Tamun, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP)
The Israeli occupation military continues to raid cities in the occupied West Bank and the surrounding refugee camps, as Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, and other areas witnessed incursions and arrests from the early hours of Monday morning until evening.
Occupation forces raided the village of Madma, south of Nablus in the West Bank, for the second time today. Earlier, the IOF stormed the Balata refugee camp in Nablus and detained two youths: Mohammed al-Houtari and Momen al-Maskawi.
Israeli forces detained three Palestinians in Tulkarm and raided the towns of Silwad and Turmus Ayya in Ramallah district, arrested a Palestinian at a military checkpoint near Beit Lahm's Tuqu’, and took three more into custody in al-Khalil.
Several Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation during an Israeli military raid on the town of al-Khader, south of Beit Lahm, after soldiers fired stun grenades and toxic gas at protesters.
Israeli troops have entered their fourth consecutive day of operations in Bruqin, northern West Bank, imposing a total lockdown and commandeering multiple civilian homes as makeshift military bases.
Settlers ignite trees and crops in al-Khalil
On Monday evening, Israeli settlers set fire to fruit trees and crops in the Khirbet Khallet al-Furn area near the village of Beirin, east of al-Khalil in the West Bank.
Beirin village council head Fared Barqan told WAFA news agency that Israeli settlers had burned vineyards along with almond, olive, and citrus trees in the Khallet al-Furn area, with the fires then spreading across more than 70 dunams (about 17 acres) of cultivated land containing barley, clover, and other crops.
#فيديو اندلاع حريق بمخيم الفوار جنوب الخليل، عقب اطلاق قنابل الغاز من قبل جنود الاحتلال. pic.twitter.com/RPvVcRwj0w
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) May 19, 2025
Barqan pointed out that these settler attacks aim to forcibly displace Palestinians while expanding the nearby Adora settlement outpost and Beit Hagai settlement, both built on lands belonging to residents near the village.
Barqan urged both Palestinian authorities and international organizations to immediately intervene and provide protection for residents against ongoing settler violence.
مستوطنون يحرقون محاصيل وأشجار بمنطقة خلة الفرن قرب منطقة بيرين شرق الخليل. pic.twitter.com/aKKCBBcpcL
— القسطل الإخباري (@AlQastalps) May 19, 2025
'Israel' sows chaos in the West Bank
Earlier in April, Israeli settlers carried out a terror attack in the village of Duma, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, injuring three Palestinians, and burning two animal farms and three cars, all under the protection and cover of Israeli occupation forces.
The head of Duma's village council, Suleiman Dawabsheh, told WAFA that around 300 Israeli settlers invaded the western side of the village, setting livestock farms on fire and wrecking cars.
According to Israeli media reports on May 3, during April's West Bank operations, hundreds of Palestinians were detained and hundreds of thousands of shekels were looted from Palestinian homes.
The United Nations reports that approximately 40,000 residents have been displaced since January 21, when the Israeli occupation military launched a military operation in the northern occupied West Bank, which they claim targets Palestinian Resistance groups.
This ongoing Israeli operation, named "Iron Wall," has focused mainly on three refugee camps: Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams. In February, Security Minister Israel Katz stated the operation would continue for several months.
