Israeli forces raid dozens of homes, arrest 7 Palestinians in occupied West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra and Mohammad Sio

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL (AA) -Israeli forces raided dozens of homes and arrested seven Palestinians on Monday in the town of Kafr Sur, south of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank, local officials said.

Fawaz Hamzeh, head of the Kafr Sur local council, told Anadolu that the Israeli military launched its raid at around 3 am local time.

He said soldiers stormed dozens of houses, ransacked properties, and interrogated residents. The forces also seized a home, turning it into a military post and interrogation center, and detained seven people, Hamzeh added.

Israeli troops spread through several neighborhoods, disrupting daily life for residents, he said.

Beyond Kafr Sur, the army conducted additional raids in multiple West Bank cities and towns on Monday.

Raids were concentrated in Nablus and Qalqilya in the north and al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah in the center of the territory, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Israel escalated its attacks in the occupied West Bank, including home demolitions, forced displacement, and settlement expansion, amid calls from Israeli officials for annexing the territory.

At least 1,047 Palestinians have been killed and more than 10,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion last July, 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.