Sunday, 26/07/2026   
   Beirut 19:12

West Bank: Palestinians Confront Occupation Forces; Settlers as Resistance Inflicts Fresh Casualties

Israeli occupation machinery demolishes a Palestinian building near Hebron in the West Bank (February 2026).

Israeli occupation forces have tightened their grip across the West Bank, sealing off most entrances to towns and villages with military checkpoints and severely restricting movement in and out of Palestinian communities, as confrontations with local residents continue to escalate.

Palestinian media and local correspondents report that residents are directly confronting ongoing attacks by both occupation soldiers and armed settlers, even as Israeli authorities move forward with the establishment of a new settlement outpost north of Ramallah. The heightened military presence has compounded an already dire humanitarian situation, with an acute fuel shortage now entering its second week across the West Bank. This is accompanied by the suspension of public sector salaries and the closure of numerous schools, further paralyzing daily life.

In the town of Huwara, south of Nablus, occupation forces confiscated vehicle keys from local residents in a move widely seen as collective punishment. Medical access has also been severely curtailed, with Israeli forces barring kidney dialysis patients from outside the Nablus governorate from entering city hospitals for life-saving treatment.

Settler violence has intensified in parallel. In the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, extremist settlers targeted a residential home, attempting to set it ablaze before being confronted and repelled by local youths. Meanwhile, south of Bethlehem, a group of settlers stormed the “Al-Qarn” area west of Al-Maniya village, demolishing the local water network. When Palestinian residents attempted to repair the damaged infrastructure, settlers attacked them by firing stun grenades, preventing any restoration efforts.

As occupation forces and settler groups continue to escalate their assaults on Palestinian property and land across the West Bank, Palestinian resistance has simultaneously intensified in response.

On Saturday, confrontations reached a boiling point south of Hebron. Israeli media confirmed that an Israeli settler was shot and wounded near the Susya village junction in Masafer Yatta. According to Israeli army radio, local young men seized the settler’s weapon, opened fire, and wounded him before withdrawing safely into the city of Yatta. In separate clashes between Palestinian resistance fighters and settlers in the same Masafer Yatta area, another settler was wounded by stones hurled during the confrontation.

Earlier, the Israeli military acknowledged the deaths of a major from the 411th Battalion of the 282nd Fire Brigade of the Artillery Corps and a soldier from the 8119th Battalion of the 16th Jerusalem Brigade, both killed in a shooting operation near Nablus. According to local sources, a Palestinian fighter managed to seize a weapon from one of the soldiers during fierce clashes with Israeli forces, marking a significant tactical blow to the occupying troops.

Source: News Agencies (Translated and edited by Al-Manar)