Widespread escalation in the West Bank: Injuries from occupation bullets and uprooting of hundreds of trees in settler attacks

The occupied Palestinian territories witnessed a dangerous field escalation at dawn today, Sunday, as occupation forces carried out a series of bloody incursions concentrated in the northern West Bank governorates. These attacks resulted in injuries among civilians and widespread destruction of private property, as part of the ongoing policy of restriction on the residents.

In field details, medical sources reported that a 27-year-old young man was injured by live bullets in the thigh area, while his 28-year-old wife was injured by bullet shrapnel in the face. These injuries occurred during a violent incursion carried out by occupation forces into Duma village, south of Nablus, where the injured were transferred to the hospital for urgent treatment.

Local sources confirmed that occupation soldiers directly targeted the Dawabsheh family home in the village, firing live bullets inside the residential rooms, causing panic among family members. The soldiers did not stop at shooting, but also deliberately destroyed the contents of the house and tampered with citizens' belongings before withdrawing from the area.

In Nablus city, occupation forces launched a raid and search campaign that affected Sufyan Street, where a Palestinian girl was arrested after raiding her family's home. Sources stated that the invading forces wreaked havoc in the house and destroyed parts of its furniture, as part of the daily arrest campaign targeting Palestinian cadres and youth in various cities.

As for Bethlehem Governorate, the occupation authorities continued their policy of collective punishment by closing a number of vital roads with earth mounds in Tuqu' town. These closures targeted the entrances to Khirbet al-Deir and the central areas of the town, hindering the movement of citizens and preventing them from reaching essential service centers in Bethlehem city.

Regarding settler attacks, extremist groups from the 'Adei Ad' settlement carried out an environmental massacre in Turmus Ayya town, northeast of Ramallah. The settlers cut down and destroyed about 400 olive trees in the town's plain, which represents a severe economic blow to farmers who depend on these trees as a primary source of livelihood.

This crime in Turmus Ayya comes a few days after settlers burned a house and a vehicle in the same town, under the protection of the occupation army. These repeated attacks reflect an attrition approach aimed at displacing Palestinians from their lands and expanding the settlement area at the expense of their historical properties.

In a related context, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission revealed terrifying statistical data, recording 1819 attacks during last March alone. These violations were distributed between the occupation army, which carried out 1322 attacks, and settlers, who launched 497 attacks targeting people, trees, and stones in various governorates.

Data showed that Hebron Governorate topped the list of areas most exposed to violations with 321 attacks, followed by Nablus with 315 attacks, then Ramallah and Al-Bireh with 292. These figures indicate the occupation's focus on population centers in the West Bank to break the will of steadfastness among citizens.

In Hebron city, occupation forces imposed severe repressive measures, including a curfew in Jaber, Salaymeh, and Wadi al-Hussein neighborhoods. Human rights sources reported that soldiers prevented residents from standing on their balconies or ascending to rooftops, and also detained a number of citizens, preventing them from returning to their homes for long hours.

In Qusra town, south of Nablus, settlers attacked the home of citizen Youssef Abd al-Salam in the Ras al-Ain area, besieging the family inside the house in harsh conditions. The attackers cut off electricity to the house and issued direct threats to the residents, in an attempt to intimidate them and force them to leave the area.

On the political and local level, settler attacks prevented Khirbet 'Yarza', east of Tubas, from participating in the 2026 local elections. Local sources confirmed that the escalation of settler terrorism prevented any candidates from running for the village council, thus disrupting the democratic and service path in the area.

Official data indicate that the West Bank has been in a state of turmoil since October 2023, with more than 1153 martyrs killed by occupation and settler bullets. Thousands have also been injured to varying degrees, while the number of detainees has exceeded 22,000 Palestinians, in the largest arrest campaign the region has witnessed in decades.

This systematic escalation, which combines the military force of the army and organized settler attacks, places the international community before its legal and moral responsibilities. Continued silence in the face of these crimes encourages the occupation to proceed with its policy of silent ethnic cleansing and the destruction of the elements of life in the occupied West Bank.

Occupation forces escalated their repressive measures against residents in Hebron neighborhoods and imposed a curfew that prevents citizens from even standing at their windows.