Israel intensifies West Bank raids, continues Tulkarem siege

Israeli forces have intensified their assaults on the occupied West Bank, continuing a series of military raids and detentions across several cities and camps.

The ongoing military operations entered its 37th day, with Israeli forces continuing their siege of Tulkarem, Nour Shams, and surrounding villages.

The raids have now extended to other cities of the northern West Bank, including Nablus and Salfit, where Israeli troops targeted Palestine towns including Gablan and Timta.

Two Palestinians were detained as part of the ongoing incursions in the northern area of the Palestinian territory as forces expanded their operations to Yatta and Beit Ummar in the south of Hebron.

In Qusra, south of Nablus, Israeli special forces raided the home of Yousef Fayez Hassan, a 27-year-old Palestinian they claim is wanted, injuring him in the attack.

In Jenin, Israeli forces made at least two arrests today with one Palestinian from Tamta and another from Ya’abd.

Israeli occupation forces storm the village of Fahma, southwest of Jenin. pic.twitter.com/DDCBnyXAaq

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 28, 2025

On Wednesday, Jenin’s governor Kamal Abu al-Rab told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Israeli forces were carrying out deep excavations reaching more than three metres in several locations inside Jenin camp and besieged the camp to prevent the return of the displaced.

In the central West Bank this week, a Palestinian was shot by Israeli forces during a raid on Beit Rima, north of Ramallah, while Israeli troops also targeted the homes of three former prisoners who had been released as part of an exchange deal and deported abroad.

The violent attacks are part of Israel’s Operation Iron Wall, which has led to widespread destruction and the displacement of at least 45,000 people from Tulkarem and Nour Shams camps alone, according to the Palestinian News Agency.

Among the Israeli units involved in the assault are the army the Shin Bet intelligence agency, and the Border Police in one of the largest and most expansive military operations to take place in the West Bank since Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.

Netanyahu’s escalation followed bombing incidents in Tel Aviv on 20 February, which no Palestinian political faction has claimed responsibility for. Police have reportedly detained an Israeli Jewish citizen suspected of involvement in the bombing and subsequently enforced a gag order on the incident.

Israel’s military says it has engaged in fierce battles with Palestinian fighters inside the camps, which have been mostly emptied of their civilian populations. Since 21 January, the operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 65 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian ministry of health.

The attacks come as an Israeli delegation joined mediators from the US and Qatar in Cairo for talks on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

With the first phase of the three-phase truce set to come to an end on Saturday, the fate of the second phase of the deal remains in the air amid Israel’s continued violations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, has been accused of refusing to implement the part of the agreement stipulating the completion of a withdrawal from the enclave, the start of the reconstruction process, and a permanent end to the violence.  

According to humanitarian organisations, aid workers in the West Bank are facing direct threats to their lives and Israel continues to block and delay aid deliveries since establishing new checkpoints.

A new poll from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) revealed all 42 surveyed humanitarian organisations reported increased difficulties in delivering aid in the West Bank since the pause in hostilities in Gaza.

Ziad Issa, MAP’s Head of Advocacy and Campaigns, said: “Israeli forces and settlers are suffocating everyday life in the West Bank and humanitarian aid is being dangerously disrupted. As the occupying power, Israel has a legal obligation to ensure the provision of medical care, food, and other essential aid to the Palestinian population in the West Bank.”

The death toll from the Gaza War has now reached 61,707, with the bodies of thousands of victims being discovered under the rubble of homes and buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes