Israeli army expands military operations in northern West Bank amid tension

By Qais Abu Samra and Mohammad Sio

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli army widened its military campaign in the northern West Bank on Thursday, imposing a tight cordon on the Kafr Saba neighborhood in Qalqilya and restricting Palestinian movement inside the area.

Troops raided Qalqilya at dawn and enforced a curfew on Kafr Saba while deploying across several parts of the city, witnesses told Anadolu.

They said soldiers searched homes and questioned residents as tension grew around the neighborhood.

In a related development, the army withdrew from the town of Masliya, south of Jenin, after raiding it for hours and imposing a curfew. Damage from the raid remained visible across the town.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued their third day of operations in nearby Qabatiya, enforcing tight movement restrictions and carrying out repeated home raids.

Northern West Bank towns have seen a sharp escalation since last week after the Israeli army launched a new operation, beginning in Tubas and Tammun before expanding to Qabatiya and Masliya. The campaign has included curfews, raids, mass detentions and damage to infrastructure.

More than 1,087 Palestinians have been killed and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the army and illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied territory since October 2023. Over 20,500 people have also been arrested.

In a landmark opinion in July last year, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.