Israeli raids sweep West Bank as settlers attack village near Ramallah
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Israeli occupation forces launched overnight raids across the West Bank, while settlers attempted to breach a village near Ramallah, escalating tensions on multiple fronts.
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An elderly Palestinian man sits in front of his house as an Israeli armored vehicle moves on a street during a military raid in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Wednesday, October 8, 2025. (AP)
Israeli occupation forces carried out a series of overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, detaining at least 16 Palestinians, including a child, in the city of al-Khalil on Wednesday.
According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent, the raids extended to the town of Ya'bad, south of Jenin, where troops re-arrested a former detainee who had only been released the previous night. In al-Bireh, the IOF surrounded a residence in the Umm al-Sharayet neighborhood and detained a young man.
Eyewitnesses reported that the IOF violently assaulted several detainees during the arrests, beating them and ransacking their homes.
West Bank | The displaced person, Fidaa Salameh, from Jenin Refugee Camp, recounts the details of his detention along with five of his friends and the assault they endured for 24 continuous hours by the occupation army in a military barracks inside the camp. pic.twitter.com/zPktB9W9Es
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) October 21, 2025
Elsewhere, the Israeli forces erected new checkpoints at the entrances of al-Khalil and nearby towns and refugee camps, obstructing movement by sealing off key roads with iron gates, concrete barriers, and earth mounds.
In a separate incident late Tuesday, groups of Israeli settlers attacked the outskirts of the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, attempting to storm the area before eventually retreating. According to the WAFA news agency, no injuries or property damage were reported.
West Bank sees 757 Israeli settler attacks in one year
Israeli occupation forces raided the town of Abu Dis, just east of occupied al-Quds, on Tuesday, launching tear gas and sound grenades indiscriminately at people in the streets, traumatizing residents and forcing many to change their routes to avoid the growing violence.
This assault coincides with a surge in attacks by settlers and the IOF across the occupied West Bank, with the United Nations reporting it has documented approximately 757 attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property in the first half of this year alone.
The spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that settlers are carrying out violent attacks against Palestinians in an environment defined by a near-total lack of accountability and protection for the vulnerable population.
158 assaults on olive harvesters
Meanwhile, the head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority, Muayyad Shaaban, revealed that since the season began at the start of October, occupation forces and settlers have carried out 158 attacks on olive harvesters across West Bank governorates.
Of these 158 attacks, Shaaban specified that 17 were carried out by the Israeli army, while settlers were responsible for 141; assaults involved physical violence, detentions, and preventing farmers from accessing or moving freely on their land, such as in the Tubas Governorate.
He also pointed out that the olive harvest is being systematically and intentionally targeted by the occupation because of its national symbolism, the historical connection between Palestinians and their land, and its significant economic, social, and cultural importance.
“We only wanted to pick our olives”
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws1) October 21, 2025
Afaf Abu Alia, 53, has been taken to hospital after being clubbed over the head by a masked Israeli settler as she was picking olives in the West Bank. pic.twitter.com/6JUg7IMyau
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, 41 separate attacks by settlers on Palestinian olive harvesters in the West Bank have been documented this month.
Read more: Olive Harvest Season: Another Palestinian Struggle against "Israel's" Eco-Terrorism
