Israel Signals New Refugee Camp Assault as West Bank Raids Intensify
Israel ordered preparations to occupy another refugee camp as raids, mass arrests and settler attacks intensified across the occupied West Bank.
Key Developments
- Israel plans to expand its military campaign to another West Bank refugee camp.
- Israeli forces carried out widespread raids, detaining at least 15 Palestinians.
- Israeli occupiers continued attacks on Palestinian homes and civilians.
- Defense Minister Israel Katz lifted restrictions on a settler accused of violent attacks against Palestinians.
Israel is preparing to expand its military campaign in the occupied West Bank by targeting another Palestinian refugee camp, while raids, arrests and settler attacks continue to escalate across the territory.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the military to prepare for the occupation of an additional refugee camp, following the model applied in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams, where Israeli military operations displaced thousands of Palestinians and established a prolonged army presence.
The directive was issued after a high-level security meeting attended by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, senior commanders, intelligence officials, Shin Bet representatives and military advisers.
According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, Katz ordered the army to broaden offensive operations throughout the occupied West Bank and prepare to seize another refugee camp, whose identity has not been disclosed.
He said the planned operation would follow what he described as the ‘successful model’ implemented in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams, where Israeli forces emptied the camps of their residents and continue to maintain a permanent military presence.
Katz claimed the policy, approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had significantly reduced Palestinian resistance activity in the occupied West Bank.
Violent Settler Shielded
In a separate decision, Katz rejected recommendations made by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet, ordering security authorities to cancel an administrative restriction imposed on an Israeli settler accused of violent attacks against Palestinians.
According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, Katz argued there had been ‘flaws’ in the process used to issue the order and instructed security agencies to address the matter through other means.
Israeli Army Radio reported that Katz had previously pressured Central Command chief Avi Bluth to stop issuing administrative restrictions against violent settlers.
The report also said Katz paid an extended visit to the settler, Tal Yanon Dardik, whose restrictions he later ordered lifted.
According to Israeli media, Dardik has been implicated in several attacks against Palestinians in Khirbet Humsa in the northern Jordan Valley, including the sexual assault of a Palestinian.
Raids Sweep the West Bank
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces continued large-scale military raids across the occupied West Bank.
At least 15 Palestinians were detained overnight, most of them in the Nablus governorate.
More than 50 Israeli soldiers stormed the village of Al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, sealing all entrances, searching dozens of homes and interrogating residents.
Additional arrests were reported in Tulkarem, Al-Jalazone refugee camp north of Ramallah and the city of Jenin, where Israeli soldiers raided homes and damaged property.
Israeli forces have intensified near-daily incursions into Palestinian cities, towns and refugee camps since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
Settler Attacks Continue
Israeli settlers also carried out fresh attacks against Palestinians on Tuesday.
Near Bethlehem, settlers set fire to a Palestinian family’s home in the Abu Njeim area. Palestinian Red Crescent crews evacuated all eight family members safely, while WAFA reported that a Palestinian vehicle was also torched.
In another incident west of Hebron, settlers reportedly abducted two Palestinian men after attacking and vandalizing their vehicle near the town of Beit Ula.
Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Israeli army of protecting illegal settlers during attacks and, in some cases, participating in the assaults.
Escalation Since October 2023
The latest developments come amid a sharp escalation across the occupied West Bank, particularly following recent violence in the town of Tell near Nablus.
According to official Palestinian figures, Israeli military operations and settler attacks since October 2023 have killed more than 1,182 Palestinians, wounded around 13,000, and resulted in approximately 24,600 arrests, including more than 785 women and 1,900 children.
A fact sheet released Tuesday by the Palestinian Prisoners Society said the total number of arrest cases in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, has now exceeded 24,600.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission documented 3,488 settler attacks during the first half of 2026 alone, including assaults on civilians, attacks on farmland, the establishment of new illegal settlement outposts and efforts to prevent Palestinians from accessing their land.
(WAFA, QNN, Anadolu, PC)