In a series of overnight and early morning raids across the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces detained numerous Palestinians, sealed off a town, and demolished a home, drawing condemnation from local officials.

The operations, which stretched from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, targeted several cities and villages, reflecting a pattern of escalating Israeli military activity in the territory.

According to local sources, Israeli forces stormed the town of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya. During the raid, troops arrested Murad Shtewi, a senior official with the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, a Palestinian body that opposes Israeli settlement expansion. At least three other civilians were reportedly taken from their homes. Witnesses stated that Israeli soldiers occupied several Palestinian homes, using them as makeshift military outposts.

The Israeli military also sealed the entrances to Kafr Qaddum and imposed a strict curfew on the town, effectively confining all residents to their homes until 8:00 p.m.

Further north, in the Nablus region, two more Palestinians were detained during incursions into the city and the nearby Rafidia area. Similar raids were reported in the Tulkarem district, where two young men were taken from their homes in the town of Illar.

In a separate action in the central West Bank, Israeli bulldozers, protected by military forces, demolished a Palestinian home in the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah. The Israeli authorities routinely justify such demolitions by citing a lack of construction permits, which are notoriously difficult for Palestinians to obtain from the Israeli military administration in the majority of the West Bank under its control.

Meanwhile, in occupied East Jerusalem, two Palestinian workers were injured by live Israeli army fire. The shooting occurred near the separation barrier in the towns of al-Ram and Qalandia. The Israeli military claimed the men were attempting to cross the barrier without authorization, a statement contested by local sources who said the workers were in the area when soldiers opened fire.

The events have been condemned by Palestinian authorities as part of a wider campaign of collective punishment and intensifying pressure on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. (ILKHA)