Occupation demolishes two homes in Ramallah and launches widespread arrest campaign targeting 20 Palestinians in the West Bank

Israeli occupation forces launched a large-scale raid and incursion campaign at dawn today, Tuesday, covering several cities and towns in the occupied northern West Bank. These military operations resulted in the arrest of at least 20 Palestinian citizens, including a young woman, after searching their homes and tampering with their contents in what residents described as retaliatory measures.

In Nablus city, field sources reported that large military reinforcements stormed the area behind the National Hospital, where soldiers and vehicles spread through the main streets. The raids focused on the town of Madama to the south, targeting dozens of homes and resulting in the arrest of 14 Palestinians, some of whom underwent harsh field interrogations before being taken to unknown locations.

Salfit Governorate also witnessed a military incursion that led to the arrest of two individuals, one of whom was the head of the labor unions in the governorate, Mahmoud Al-Barr, after his home was raided and thoroughly searched. During the withdrawal of forces from the city, a Palestinian civilian vehicle was damaged due to a deliberate collision with a military vehicle, amidst a state of tension that prevailed in the area.

In Jenin, arrests targeted four citizens, including a young woman, with incursions concentrated around the American Arab University and displaced persons' residences. Occupation forces raided residential buildings near Martyr Yahya Ayyash Roundabout and the German Quarter, in a move aimed at restricting residents and displaced persons who had sought refuge in those areas to escape ongoing military operations.

In a related context of ethnic cleansing policy, occupation bulldozers demolished two homes under construction in the town of Shaqba, west of Ramallah city. The invading forces fired a barrage of tear gas and sound bombs at citizens who tried to confront the demolition, leading to cases of suffocation among civilians.

The head of Shaqba Municipal Council, Khalaf Qadah, explained that the two targeted homes are located within lands owned by Palestinians in Area 'C'. He pointed out that this operation raises the number of demolished homes in the town to 25 since the beginning of the year, as part of a systematic plan to displace residents and prevent Palestinian urban expansion.

Official data from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission indicates a dangerous escalation in demolition operations, with 740 Palestinian structures destroyed during the first half of this year alone. These policies have caused the displacement of more than 1,700 Palestinians, in clear violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the destruction of civilian property except for absolute military necessity.

On the sports and humanitarian front, international positions supporting the Palestinian cause emerged, as Hossam Hassan, coach of the Egyptian national football team, made emotional statements during a press conference organized by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Hassan considered that the lack of empathy for what the Palestinian people are going through represents a loss of part of humanity, amidst the political tensions overshadowing the global sports scene.

It is worth noting that the West Bank has been in a state of turmoil since October 2023, with the death toll reaching 1,179 martyrs and over 12,000 injured. These figures coincide with unprecedented arrest campaigns targeting approximately 24,000 Palestinians, reflecting the scale of the comprehensive Israeli escalation against the Palestinian presence in all governorates.

The demolition operation in Shaqba town is the 25th carried out by the occupation since the beginning of this year, targeting the Palestinian presence in Area C.