Israeli occupation raids sweep West Bank, detains 15 Palestinians
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Pre-dawn raids across Nablus, Qalqilya, and Ramallah left Palestinian families terrified as Israeli occupation forces stormed homes and targeted former detainees.
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Israeli occupation forces walk in the West Bank town of Deir Istiya, Thursday, November 13, 2025. (AP)
A pre-dawn wave of Israeli occupation raids swept through the occupied West Bank on Saturday, leaving families terrorized as Israeli occupation forces detained 15 Palestinians and damaged homes, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.
The raids targeted homes in Nablus, Qalqilya, and Ramallah, with several of those detained being young men and former detainees. Local sources reported that the operations unfolded under intense pressure and searches, often accompanied by the use of stun grenades and tear gas.
In Nablus and its surroundings, Israeli occupation forces stormed the Old Askar refugee camp, detaining Fajr Behnjawi, Mohammad Jalal Abu Salem, and Mohammad Salama. Additional raids were carried out in the village of Madama, south of the city, where Bassam Wajih Qatt, Qassam Mohammad Ziadeh, and Ahmad Amer Nassar were detained. In Beit Furik, east of Nablus, Israeli occupation forces detained Mahmoud Hussein Nasrallah Hannani after storming his family home.
In Qalqilya, the IOF conducted a large-scale incursion into the Kafr Saba neighborhood. Several young Palestinian men were assaulted despite the cold weather and rainfall. During the aggression, the IOF detained Mohammad Abu Halima, along with former detainee Mahmoud Abu Labda, Nu’man Abu Labda, Hassan Shbeita, and Saeed Shbeita.
Meanwhile, in Ramallah, two young Palestinians were detained following a raid in the town of Beit Rima, northwest of the city, where the IOF deployed heavy stun grenades and tear gas, sparking fear among residents.
OHCHR warns of 'wider pattern' of rising Israeli violence in West Bank
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a warning over intensifying violence in the occupied West Bank, citing a surge in settler-led attacks and complicity of Israeli occupation forces.
In a November briefing, the OHCHR condemned “abhorrent” scenes of masked Israeli settlers carrying out arson attacks against Palestinian villages. The agency voiced deep concern that these incidents are part of a “wider pattern” of escalating violence, raising serious questions about accountability and protection under occupation.
According to the OHCHR, the attacks underscore a deteriorating security environment, especially as settler violence appears to be emboldened, in some cases with support or acquiescence from Israeli security forces.
Displacement, demolitions, forced transfer
The rights office also highlighted a growing strategy of dispossession and displacement. OHCHR pointed to the construction and expansion of illegal settler outposts, the demolition of Palestinian homes, and a campaign that risks consolidating “annexation".
These practices, it warned, are deeply at odds with international law.
The surge in violence has come at a significant human cost. The OHCHR reported a sharp rise in killings, harassment, and displacement among Palestinian communities. Earlier this year, the agency had already condemned “unlawful lethal force” by Israeli occupation forces in areas such as Jenin, warning that many victims of Israeli violence were unarmed.
The Office emphasized that "Israel", as the occupying power, has an obligation under international law to protect Palestinians.
Read more: Over 2,300 Israeli settler, IOF attacks targeted W. Bank in October
Palestinian child succumbs to injuries
Palestinian child Aysam Jihad Labib Naser, mentioned in the OHCHR report, was martyred on Tuesday, a month after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli occupation forces in olive groves near the West Bank village of Beita. At the time of the attack, eyewitnesses described how the child began convulsing and suffocating when the IOF started dispersing olive pickers with gas grenades, despite eyewitnesses saying the pickers posed no danger to the soldiers.
"They simply threw gas in every direction," one eyewitness said
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, reiterated that attacks against Palestinians and their property must stop, and those responsible must be held to account.
"Israel" must end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, including by ceasing immediately all new settlement activities, and evacuating all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory, the report added.
"Palestinians’ right to self-determination must be realized," the report underlined.
Read more: 'Israel' detains US teen for 9 months, forces confession under threat
