Israeli forces raid West Bank villages amid settler violence

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen
28 Jun 2025 23:03

Israeli troops escalate raids across the northern occupied West Bank, arresting resistance fighters’ families and aiding settler attacks on villages near Nablus.

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An Israeli soldier stands guard as Israeli settlers storm the old city-center and market of the Palestinian city of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank on June 28, 2025 (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

Israeli occupation forces and settlers launched a wide-ranging escalation across several areas of the northern occupied West Bank on Saturday, carrying out detentions, violent assaults, and road closures, particularly in and around the city of Nablus.

Arrests target families of Palestinian Resistance fighters

In the village of Urif, south of Nablus, Israeli forces detained the parents of martyr Muhannad Shahada, one of the Palestinians involved in the recent ‘Eli operation, as well as his brother Ihab Shahada, who was arrested from his workplace inside the territories occupied since 1948. The move is part of the occupation’s policy of targeting relatives of Palestinian fighters.

Elsewhere, in the village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, Israeli forces arrested a young man named Mahmoud Asida during a dawn raid. Later in the day, the village came under attack by dozens of Israeli settlers, who raided the Kafrour area under the protection of occupation soldiers.

Armed confrontations erupt as settlers storm villages

Palestinian youth confronted the settler assault, triggering fierce confrontations, which saw Israeli soldiers fire live ammunition at local residents, amid a state of high tension and mass mobilization in the village of Tell.

Meanwhile, settlers gathered at an entrance to Nablus, demanding what they called “permanent control” over Joseph’s Tomb—a move widely condemned as a deliberate provocation and part of broader efforts to impose new settlement realities in the occupied West Bank.

Road closures and expanded raids deepen West Bank crisis

Israeli forces continued to block the main entrance to al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, using earth mounds to obstruct Palestinian movement. The road closure has caused severe traffic congestion and disrupted daily life in the area.

In a further escalation, Israeli forces also stormed the town of Aqaba, north of Tubas, and later raided the city of Tubas, expanding their military operations beyond the Nablus region.

The attacks form part of a widening campaign across the northern West Bank, which has seen growing resistance and settler violence in recent weeks.