West Bank towns under settler attack as military raids intensify

Al Mayadeen

15-07-2025

Settler violence and military raids intensified across the occupied West Bank on Saturday evening, with attacks reported in Ramallah, Nablus, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm.
Palestinian security sources reported that armed settler groups assaulted the outskirts of Jaljulia village, located north of Ramallah, attempting to set Palestinian homes ablaze. In Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah, settlers targeted the southern area known as Al-Batin, where local residents confronted the intruders, preventing further escalation. Meanwhile, gunfire was opened toward civilians from an illegal outpost in the Al-Qala'a area, east of the village of al-Mughayyir. In a separate act of intimidation, settlers gathered at the entrance to the nearby town of Turmusaya.
قطعان من المستوطنين يقتحمون أراضي بلدة جلجليا شمال رام الله، ويحاولون إحراق منزل على أطراف البلدة. pic.twitter.com/TKJhNmYHT3In another development, Israeli occupation forces detained a Palestinian man at the Atara military checkpoint north of Ramallah, as part of the army's ongoing arrest operations across the region.
South of Nablus, residents of Beita town fended off a settler incursion, during which a young Palestinian was wounded by rubber bullets. In the same area, settlers torched a vehicle during their invasion of Mount Bir Qouza.
عاجل | إصابة شاب بالرصاص المطاطي خلال مواجهات مع قوات الاحتلال أثناء التصدي لهجوم مستوطنين على جبل بئر قوزا، في بلدة بيتا جنوب نابلس. pic.twitter.com/uOPksRpsDVIn the eastern part of Qalqilya Governorate, Israeli forces stormed the villages of Hajjah, Baqat al-Hatab, and Seer. Local witnesses described the raids as deliberately provocative, with soldiers patrolling village streets in a confrontational manner.
Tension also flared in Anabta, east of Tulkarm, where confrontations erupted following an Israeli military raid. The assault comes amid a prolonged Israeli campaign in Tulkarm and its refugee camp, now in its 160th consecutive day, and a parallel offensive in the Nour Shams refugee camp, which has entered its 147th day. Both areas continue to suffer under repeated incursions and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
Since October 2023, "Israel" has intensified its military presence across the occupied West Bank. Overnight roadblocks of earth and stone appeared, followed by brightly painted metal gates. New permanent and flying checkpoints now dot the landscape.
For many, this has severely disrupted daily life. Sana Alwan, a 52-year-old personal trainer in Sinjil, said her commute to Ramallah now takes up to three hours each way and unpredictable delays have caused her work to decline. "Half of our life is on the roads," she said.
While spared the full-scale war seen on Gaza, life in the occupied West Bank has grown increasingly difficult. A ban on Palestinian workers entering the 1948-occupied Palestinian territories cut off livelihoods for tens of thousands. A crackdown on refugee camps displaced thousands earlier this year.
Read more: Settler violence turns inward: IOF attacked, security post burned
Moreover, Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank have resulted in the demolition of more than 1,000 Palestinian homes and the killing of at least 55 people since January.
The destruction has concentrated on three northern West Bank refugee camps: Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams, with operations intensifying since January 21.
These raids are part of a protracted military campaign characterized by home demolitions, infrastructure destruction, and the occupation of residential buildings.