Israeli forces have carried out operations in at least 15 towns in the northern occupied West Bank, detaining dozens of Palestinians. The actions came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a complete blockade of the territory following an attack in Hebron that killed two Israeli soldiers.
The operations covered Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya. In the Nablus area, arrests and searches of Palestinian homes were carried out in the villages of Jalud and Qaryut. Arrests were also reported in Arabeh and Burkin near Jenin, while Israeli forces entered Tubas and the nearby city of Aqaba. Military units also reached Jericho and the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp.
Building demolished and evacuation orders
In the southern West Bank, Israeli bulldozers demolished a three-story building in Hebron. Families were given five minutes to collect their belongings. Hundreds of Palestinian families in the Ain Deir Baha area and surrounding areas were ordered to leave their homes.
Israeli soldiers surrounded the home of one of the suspects in the attack on a reserve battalion near the settlement of Telem. Operations were also carried out in the “Al Jalda“ neighborhood of Hebron. The Israeli army said the operation in the city would last “several days”, alongside operations in dozens of other areas in the West Bank.
The blockade affects millions of Palestinians
The imposed blockade will close nearly 1,000 checkpoints and crossings in the West Bank. The restrictions affect movement between cities and villages, as well as access to healthcare, education and work.
Netanyahu's order came after the Israeli army said it had killed two Palestinian shooters who attacked a reserve battalion near Telem. The attack killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded at least three others, the Israeli emergency services said.
Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative party, told Al Jazeera that statements by far-right Israeli ministers were further exacerbating the situation. He said the blockade was turning every town and village into a "small prison" because checkpoints and closed doors blocked healthcare, the economy and education. Barghouti warned that collective punishment "would lead to outbreaks".
Sources: aljazeera.com