11 Palestinians Injured in Qalandia Raid as Settlers Torch Homes in Masafer Yatta

By Staff, Agencies

At least 11 Palestinians were injured during raids carried out by the “Israeli” occupation forces [IOF] across several areas of the occupied West Bank early Thursday, while settlers attacked Palestinian homes and set buildings on fire in Masafer Yatta, south of Al-Khalil [“Hebron”].

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 11 people were wounded during an “Israeli” military raid on Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied Al-Quds [“Jerusalem”]. According to the organization, soldiers assaulted several residents, including Mohammad Jamal Ammar, who was beaten before later being released.

Medical teams transported eight people suffering from injuries caused by beatings to hospital. The Red Crescent also evacuated five patients from inside the camp despite what it described as continued obstruction of ambulance and rescue crews by “Israeli” forces.

Local sources reported that occupation forces also raided Airport Road near the camp, fired tear gas, detained two Palestinians, and prevented journalists from covering the operation.

Elsewhere, clashes erupted in the village of Awarta, southeast of Nablus, where one Palestinian was wounded by live “Israeli” gunfire and another was reportedly beaten by soldiers.

In the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, occupation forces assaulted residents before storming the area, raiding a home and a commercial property.

South of al-Khalil, settlers attacked Palestinian homes in Khirbet Al-Tuba in the Masafer Yatta area, setting several houses ablaze. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that five Palestinians, including women and children, were injured during the attack.

In the Al-Qarna area of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, local Palestinian youths confronted settlers who were reportedly attacking homes in the area.

Further north, occupation forces raided the village of Sir, east of Jenin, searched a house in the Al-Mutilla area, and entered Jenin’s Al-Zahraa neighborhood, where a young Palestinian man was reportedly assaulted.

In Tulkarm, an “Israeli” military vehicle rammed a Palestinian civilian car on Pharaoh Street south of the city.

Additional raids were reported in the Wadi al-Sheikh area near al-Arroub refugee camp, north of Al-Khalil [“Hebron”], and in the town of Al-Issawiya in occupied Al-Quds [“Jerusalem”].

The latest operations follow a large-scale military raid launched by “Israeli” forces on Wednesday in Qalandia refugee camp and the nearby town of Kafr Aqab.

According to local reports, special forces entered the camp before being reinforced by additional troops and military bulldozers. Dozens of homes in the Al-Matar and Al-Kasarat neighborhoods were searched, with several families forced to leave their homes as soldiers carried out raids that reportedly caused property damage.

In Kafr Aqab, occupation forces detained dozens of Palestinians and prevented residents from performing the dawn [Fajr] prayer. Residents also reported receiving threatening messages on their mobile phones, while loudspeakers ordered evacuations from parts of the area. During the operation, an “Israeli” military vehicle reportedly ran over a young Palestinian man near the camp.

The raids are part of a broader military escalation in the occupied West Bank ordered by “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Minister Israel Katz following a confrontation near the village of al-Tell, close to Jenin, in July that resulted in Israeli casualties.