Israeli forces raid West Bank town, arrest several Palestinians, residents say

2026-02-24 - 10:42

Israeli forces conducted a military raid in the Palestinian town of eastern Lubban, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, arresting several residents and damaging property, local council head Yaqub Oweis told Anadolu Tuesday. Troops entered the town around midnight, searching multiple homes and causing damage inside some residences, with several young men detained though an exact number was not specified. Resident Accounts of Midnight Raid Asma al-Aboushi described the ordeal as soldiers entered her home, seated the family together, conducted searches, and photographed residents for identity verification. She recounted that soldiers upstairs signaled to colleagues in the kitchen who were eating, then covered their faces with masks and began eating while observing family reactions. The soldiers took the family's suhoor, the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan, leaving the house in disarray before departing. The Israeli army offered no immediate comment on the operation. Escalating West Bank Operations Eastern Lubban, home to approximately 4,200 Palestinians along the main Ramallah-Nablus road, has faced repeated closures and tightened restrictions since the Gaza war began in October 2023, with illegal settler raids also reported. Witnesses reported additional forces deployed in Silwad east of Ramallah. The Palestinian Prisoner Society reported over 100 arrests since Ramadan began last week, with more than 9,300 Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons including 66 women and 350 children. Violence has surged across the West Bank since the Gaza conflict's start, with Palestinian figures documenting over 1,116 killed, approximately 11,500 wounded, and roughly 22,000 arrested.