Israeli Forces Raid Ramallah, Al-Bireh, Target Rights Groups

Israeli occupation forces raided multiple areas in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Al-Bireh on Tuesday, targeting prominent human rights and civil society organizations. The forces stormed the headquarters of the "Union of Palestinian Women's Committees" and the "Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights Care and Prisoner Advocacy." This action is part of a broader escalation and systematic targeting of civil and human rights work.

The military raids included the storming of three buildings near the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah. Israeli forces sealed one of the complex's main entrances and deployed snipers on surrounding buildings, effectively besieging the facility and hindering the movement of medical staff and patients. Snipers were also positioned in both Ramallah and Al-Bireh.

To prevent documentation of the events, Israeli forces compelled journalists and media crews present at the scene to leave, barring them from reporting on the raids. In Al-Bireh, local sources reported that Israeli army forces, accompanied by bulldozers, entered the city, the Al-Tira neighborhood, and the town of Surda, north of Ramallah, with military vehicles patrolling the streets.

During the raid on the Al-Dameer Association, Israeli forces seized equipment and files. They left a written message stating that the association was declared an "illegal entity" for allegedly exploiting public funds to serve the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, warning of severe consequences for any dealings with the organization. Journalist Firas Lotfi was injured in the foot by a direct tear gas grenade. Several residents were arrested during the raids in Ramallah and Al-Bireh.

In 2022, Israeli authorities had previously closed the Al-Dameer headquarters and confiscated its contents. Snipers were also deployed near the Palestinian Legislative Council building. Tear gas was fired at residents and journalists in the city center. Reinforcements, including trucks, armored personnel carriers, and police forces, were deployed from areas including the vicinity of the settlement of Beit El and the Al-Tira area. The forces entered the medical complex's courtyard with military reinforcements, deployed snipers at its entrances, and blocked entry and exit. The article notes that since the start of the war on Gaza, Israeli military actions and settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem have intensified, including killings, arrests, home demolitions, arson, land confiscation, displacement, and settlement expansion.