Israeli forces raid al-Aqsa library, step up West Bank demolitions
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Israeli police stormed al-Aqsa’s library and issued new demolition orders in Masafer Yatta as raids and clashes spread across Ramallah, Tubas, and Jenin.
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Members of the Israeli occupation forces stand guard on an alley during a military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus, Wednesday, August 27, 2025 (AP)
The Israeli occupation forces intensified operations across the occupied West Bank on Monday, storming al-Aqsa Mosque’s library and continuing demolitions in the southern hills of al-Khalil, while raids and confrontations spread to several cities.
An Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that Israeli police raided the library inside al-Aqsa Mosque, expelling students and staff ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned visit to the adjacent Umayyad Palaces area on the mosque’s southern side.
At the same time, Israeli authorities issued demolition notices for five homes in Masafer Yatta, south of al-Khalil, as part of what local residents describe as a policy of collective punishment targeting Palestinian communities in the area.
Confrontations erupted in Beitunia, west of Ramallah, after occupation troops entered the town and fired tear gas, though no injuries or arrests were reported. In Tubas, soldiers raided the village of Tayasir and set up a roadblock in its center.
Meanwhile, in Jenin, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Bartaa, southwest of the governorate, arresting several workers after searching homes and shops. Bartaa’s municipality said the daily incursions are paralyzing residents’ lives and amount to collective punishment.
Israeli forces conduct arrest raids
Israeli occupation forces launched a wide-scale raid and detention campaign across several West Bank cities and towns, and settlers, under the protection of Israeli police, forced their way into the courtyards of the al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday.
In Ramallah, Israeli forces closed the iron gates at the main entrance to the town of Turmus'ayya north of the city and raided the city of al-Bireh, as well as the Saha Marhaba neighborhood. Israeli forces also raided several homes in the New Askar refugee camp and arrested Ibrahim Sultan, Mahmoud Emad Abu Leila, and Saeed Qar'an.
The Israeli occupation also arrested seven citizens in al-Khalil after raiding and searching their homes and tampering with their contents, set up several military checkpoints at the entrances to the city, its towns, villages, and refugee camps, and closed main and side roads with iron gates, concrete blocks, and earth mounds.
In Beit Lahm, Israeli forces seized a mobile home in the town of al-Khader to the south, conducted raids in the areas of al-Ubeidiya, Harmala, Rafida, and Za'atara east of the governorate, stormed several homes belonging to the Ali family in the Rakhma area, and ransacked a factory in the industrial zone.
Israeli forces announced operation across the West Bank
Meanwhile, in Tubas, Israeli occupation forces stormed the city with patrols that were deployed from the Tayasir checkpoint to the east. This comes after the occupation army announced on Sunday that it would be conducting a military operation in various areas of the West Bank from the morning hours of Monday until noon.
Since Thursday, Tulkarm has witnessed an unprecedented wave of arrests, with Israeli occupation forces detaining more than 1,500 people, including pedestrians, shop owners, and vehicle drivers. All the detainees were later released, marking one of the biggest arrest operations that swept across the city in recent months.
