West Bank Raids and Settler Attacks Escalate

Israeli forces conducted raids and made arrests across the occupied West Bank on Sunday morning, coinciding with attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property. In Al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah, Israeli forces raided homes, confiscated vehicles, and arrested at least 35 Palestinians, reportedly stealing gold jewelry and turning homes into military posts. Settlers, protected by Israeli forces, also attacked Palestinian vehicles with stones near Jericho and entered the city itself. Two Palestinians were injured by settlers in the Wadi Al-Sha'er area between Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya village and Salfit; one was stabbed in the thigh and the other hit in the head, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Settlers, under military protection, also entered the Old City of Hebron and the village of 'Ourta near Nablus, where they performed Talmudic rituals at a shrine. Israeli forces raided streets and villages around Nablus, detaining a young man in the Al-Makhfiya neighborhood. In Jenin, Israeli forces raided towns and arrested Ayman Qassem in his home. Settlers also cut down 30 olive trees belonging to a resident in Khirbet Firasin, west of Jenin, part of ongoing attacks targeting Palestinian land and livelihoods amid rising settler violence. In East Jerusalem, settler groups called for gatherings outside the "Gate of Mercy" area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to perform prayers, coinciding with the eve of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. These calls follow previous Talmudic rituals performed at the site, which the Jerusalem Governorate stated are part of efforts by Temple Mount groups to impose Jewish religious practices around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, violating the sanctity of the Islamic cemetery and the area near the Gate of Mercy.