Israeli Forces Injure Two Palestinians, Arrest Eight in West Bank Raids

Two Palestinians, an elderly man and a child, sustained injuries during Israeli military incursions across the West Bank on Saturday. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that a 68-year-old man suffered back and chest bruises, while a 14-year-old boy sustained a fractured right hand. These incidents occurred during an Israeli army raid in the village of Marka, south of Jenin. Both injured individuals were taken to a local emergency center in the nearby town of Arraba for treatment, though the circumstances of their injuries were not detailed.

During the Jenin governorate operations, the Israeli military arrested six Palestinians after raiding several towns and homes, including those of former prisoners. In another northern West Bank incident, the army raided a home in Tamun, south of Tubas, arresting two brothers. The agency noted that searches and vandalism of Palestinian homes were also part of these operations.

Further incursions took place in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, including the al-Amari and Qaddura refugee camps and the city of al-Bireh. Raids were also conducted in the Qalandia refugee camp and the town of Kafr Aqab, north of Jerusalem, as well as in Taqou, al-Ubeidiya, Dar Salah, al-Shawaweera, and Za'atara in the Bethlehem governorate, with no reported arrests or injuries from these specific locations.

Separately, Wafa reported that Israeli settlers attacked the outskirts of the town of Burqa, east of Ramallah, throwing stones at Palestinian homes and vehicles, damaging one car. The West Bank experiences daily Israeli military raids involving arrests, home invasions, and property damage.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, the Israeli military arrested over 100 Palestinians from the West Bank in the past week. Since October 2023, more than 25,000 Palestinians have been detained from the West Bank, in addition to thousands from Gaza. This surge coincides with an increase in settler violence against Palestinians and their property, with Palestinian official data indicating 628 such attacks in August. In June, 14 UN special rapporteurs warned that escalating settler violence, with alleged Israeli authority complicity, poses an existential threat to Palestinians.