Israeli occupation forces detained at least nine Palestinians during predawn raids in the occupied West Bank, according to local and Palestinian security sources.

In Nablus, four Palestinians were detained early on Friday in the Askar refugee camp, located east of Nablus. According to the sources, the forces raided the camp, firing stun bombs and tear gas, and searched several homes, ransacking their contents. The detainees included a man and his two sons, as well as another individual from the area.

In a separate incident, Israeli forces detained at least four civilians from the town of Silwad, east of Ramallah. Local sources reported that the Israeli military stormed the town, conducted house raids, and detained the four young men early on Friday. During the raids, soldiers also damaged a vehicle, smashing its windows, and vandalised several local shops.

Israeli forces also detained at least one Palestinian from the town of Arraba, south of Jenin, on Friday after raiding his home and searching its contents. Local sources said the forces turned the home into a makeshift interrogation centre where they briefly detained and interrogated several residents.

Violence spreads into rural areas

Also on Friday, several Palestinians suffered suffocation after Israeli forces fired tear gas and live rounds at farmers in al-Rashayda near Bethlehem, forcing them off their land and confiscating two tractors.

Jumaa Rashayda, head of the al-Rashayda Village Council, told WAFA news agency that for the third consecutive day, Israeli forces assaulted local farmers in the Wadi Ayash area, near the village. The soldiers fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters, in addition to using stun grenades, causing several people to suffer from gas inhalation.

Rashayda added that the Israeli forces forced the farmers off their land, preventing them from continuing their work, and confiscated two agricultural tractors during the attack.

Attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers have escalated in the occupied West Bank since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023. According to Palestinian figures, more than a thousand Palestinians have since been killed and another 10,000 injured in the occupied West Bank.