Widespread Israeli Escalation in the West Bank: Demolitions in Ramallah and Settler Attacks in Salfit

Israeli occupation forces escalated their military operations today, Sunday, in various governorates of the West Bank, carrying out a series of incursions, demolitions, and arrests. Local sources reported that occupation bulldozers demolished a house in the village of Shaqba, west of Ramallah, after storming it with intensive military reinforcements, displacing its residents.

In the Hebron governorate, the occupation authorities issued 21 new notices for the demolition of Palestinian structures and homes in various areas, in a move aimed at restricting the Palestinian presence. Israeli forces also stormed the Beit Awwa municipality headquarters south of the city, and surveillance cameras documented soldiers spreading inside the public building's corridors.

According to official data issued by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, last April witnessed 37 demolition operations targeting 78 Palestinian structures. These structures were distributed among 37 inhabited homes and 34 agricultural structures, with most of these operations concentrated in the governorates of Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Bethlehem.

In the northern Jordan Valley, occupation forces closed a dirt road and destroyed vital water networks in the Atouf plain, located east of Tammun. Moataz Bisharat, head of the settlement file in Tubas, explained that these measures come within a plan to construct a 22-kilometer settlement road at the expense of citizens' lands.

Regarding arrests, occupation forces launched a raid campaign in Jerusalem and Hebron, targeting a number of citizens, including children and the elderly. In the town of Beit Anan, northwest of Jerusalem, a child was arrested after his family's home was searched and its contents tampered with, amidst a state of tension that prevailed in the area.

In the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, local sources reported that occupation forces arrested the elderly citizen Youssef Hassan Ikhlil, aged 72. The arrest operation also included four children aged between 15 and 16, after their homes in the town were stormed and they were taken to interrogation centers.

In the context of settler attacks, the town of Kifl Haris in the Salfit governorate witnessed a violent attack carried out by dozens of settlers under the protection of the occupation army. The attackers attempted to burn the town's mosque and throw stones at citizens' homes, resulting in extensive material damage to public and private property.

Munir Abu Yaqoub, head of the Kifl Haris Municipal Council, confirmed that about 30 settlers participated in the attack, which also targeted Palestinian vehicles, with six of them being smashed. He pointed out that the residents confronted the settlers and prevented them from reaching the mosque, stressing that the town suffers from almost daily attacks.

Settler attacks in Salfit were not limited to residential properties but also extended to the agricultural sector in the Wadi Al-Shaer area. Sources reported that a group of settlers uprooted and cut down a number of ancient olive trees, in an attempt to intimidate farmers and prevent them from accessing their lands.

These developments come amid a continuous escalation of the demolition and displacement policy pursued by the occupation authorities in the West Bank. These measures coincide with a significant increase in organized settler attacks targeting Palestinian villages and towns, exacerbating the humanitarian and security situation in the region.

Occupation forces closed the road with earth mounds and began destroying water networks, as part of bulldozing operations aimed at constructing a settlement road extending for about 22 kilometers.