Israeli Forces Detain at Least 53 Palestinians in West Bank Raid

Israeli forces have detained at least 53 Palestinians during a military raid on the town of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian officials and local authorities.

The raid began early Monday and was described as the third Israeli military incursion into the area since a Palestinian man from Biddu, who is suspected by Israeli authorities of shooting and killing an Israeli settler on Sunday, was arrested.

The Israeli military said the suspect had opened fire at vehicles near Halamish, an Israeli settlement west of Ramallah in the central West Bank.

According to the military, the suspect was shot and wounded before being arrested during a raid at a hospital in Ramallah.

Following the arrest, Israeli forces intensified their operations in Biddu, with troops deployed across the town and conducting searches of homes and other properties.

The Jerusalem Governorate said at least 53 young Palestinian men were being held at an interrogation centre established by Israeli forces inside a house seized during the operation.

Biddu Mayor Nazmi Mansour told Al Jazeera that several homes had been taken over and converted into detention centres, while dozens of young men were being questioned.

“The occupation forces have been conducting a military operation in the town since yesterday. They have turned several homes into detention centres and are interrogating dozens of young men,” Mansour said.

He said Israeli troops had been deployed throughout Biddu and were conducting house-to-house searches.

Mansour also said offices, businesses and educational institutions remained closed as a result of the military operation, leaving much of the town under lockdown.

“The occupation forces have abused and assaulted a number of citizens during the ongoing raids and searches. Residents are staying in their homes, and a state of fear and anticipation prevails in the town,” he said.

Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah, said Israeli forces were also carrying out field interrogations in Biddu as part of the ongoing operation.

She reported that residents viewed the raids and interrogations as a warning intended to deter Palestinians from carrying out attacks against Israelis.

The latest operation comes amid a broader escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 1,330 settler-related attacks against Palestinians were recorded in the West Bank between January and late July.

The UN agency said this amounted to an average of about six attacks each day and represented the fastest pace recorded in roughly two decades.

Palestinian communities have reported a range of attacks linked to Israeli settlers, including shootings, assaults and attacks on homes and communities.

Human rights experts have used terms including “pogroms” to describe some of the violence.

The Israeli military and settler violence in the West Bank has also become a growing international concern, particularly as tensions continue to rise across the occupied territory.

Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim said the intensified operations were taking place less than six weeks before Israel’s October 27 election.

She reported that the timing had led some Palestinians to view the increased pressure on communities in the West Bank within the wider context of Israeli domestic politics.

The situation in Biddu remained tense on Monday, with Israeli forces continuing their searches and detentions while schools, shops and offices remained closed.

The reported detentions and military operations come amid continued tensions between Israeli forces and Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, where violence and arrests have increased significantly since October 2023.

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