Israeli army detains 15 Palestinians in West Bank raids

The Israeli army carried out widespread raids across the occupied West Bank on Sunday, detaining 15 Palestinians.

The Jerusalem governorate said Israeli forces detained 12 Palestinian laborers as they were attempting to enter occupied Jerusalem near the Atarot industrial zone north of the city.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli forces had set up an ambush in the area before detaining the workers, adding their health conditions and whereabouts remain unknown.

In the central West Bank, Israeli forces raided several villages east of Ramallah, firing live ammunition and turning homes into military positions, according to WAFA.

The raids targeted the villages of Kafr Malik, Deir Jarir and Al-Mughayyir, where soldiers stormed the homes of residents Hamza Asaad Abu Alia and Naseem Abu Alia, forcing their families to leave and converting the houses into military outposts.

Further south, Israeli forces set up a military checkpoint at the western entrance to the rural area of Bethlehem, stopping vehicles and checking residents' identification.

The army also raided the village of Al-Khader south of Bethlehem, detaining three Palestinians and firing stun grenades, the agency added.

Since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 8, 2023, attacks by Israeli forces and illegal settlers in the West Bank have killed 1,133 Palestinians, injured around 11,700 others and led to the arrest of roughly 22,000 people.

In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.