A Palestinian teenager has died from injuries sustained during an Israeli military raid in the Askar camp in Nablus, marking another incident of violence against civilians in the occupied West Bank. This follows a fragile ceasefire in Gaza that has provided little relief to Palestinians in the devastated enclave.
Mohammed Ahmed Abu Haneen, 18, died on Friday after being wounded during the raid, according to reports by Wafa news agency. Israeli forces also conducted operations in Aqaba, north of Tubas, and made several arrests in Hebron and Tal earlier in the day. The Israeli army reported that 44 Palestinians were arrested in the occupied West Bank over the past week. A military statement indicated that these operations took place across different areas, with all detainees reportedly wanted by Israel. The statement also mentioned that weapons were confiscated and interrogations were carried out during the operations.
Last week, 10-year-old Mohammad al-Hallaq was shot dead by Israeli forces while playing football in ar-Rihiya, Hebron. According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army and settlers since October 7, 2023, in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Among the victims, a fifth are children, with 206 boys and seven girls among them. The figure also includes 20 women and at least seven individuals with disabilities. The UN noted that this count does not include Palestinians who died in Israeli detention during the same period.
A U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal has led to the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees from Israeli jails, many of whom show visible signs of abuse. Dozens of returned bodies have been found to be severely mutilated, indicating torture and execution. Meanwhile, the military’s ongoing crackdown in the occupied territory has coincided with increased violence by Israeli settlers near Ramallah. They have been destroying Palestinian property at an alarming rate, often with impunity, as protected by the military.
In Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah, settlers set fire to several Palestinian vehicles early this morning, according to Wafa. In Beit Iksa, northwest of Jerusalem, they also attacked Palestinian farmers during olive harvesting. On Sunday, an Israeli settler violently assaulted a 53-year-old Palestinian woman, Afaf Abu Alia, in Turmus Aya, West Bank, causing her to suffer a brain hemorrhage.
A witness described the attack, stating that around 10 settlers initially participated, but more joined later, with the number reaching about 40. The witness claimed that the attackers were protected by the military, leaving the locals unable to defend themselves. According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settlers have attacked Palestinians nearly 3,000 times in the occupied West Bank over the past two years.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, stated on Friday that the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has seen a sharp increase in violence since October 7, 2023. The agency criticized the steady annexation of the West Bank, calling it a gross violation of international law. This refers to the expansion and recognition of illegal Israeli settlements.
Following a vote in the Israeli parliament to advance a bill formalizing the annexation of the occupied West Bank, senior U.S. officials have expressed strong opposition. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that “Israel is not going to do anything with the West Bank” amid growing condemnation of the parliamentary motion. In an interview with Time Magazine, Trump reaffirmed the U.S. stance against annexation, stating, “It won’t happen. It won’t happen. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, during his visit to Israel, echoed this position, calling the parliamentary vote in favor of annexation a “very stupid political stunt” that he personally found offensive. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently in Israel to support the Gaza ceasefire and second-phase plans, has also aligned with the administration’s firm opposition to Israeli annexation.
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