Israeli military and settlers carried out coordinated raids, marches, and arrests in Tal village and surrounding West Bank areas near Nablus on July 31, injuring at least 11 Palestinians, including four children, during the confrontations [1, 2, 3]. Israeli forces detained at least 10 Palestinians across the West Bank, with arrests reported in Tal, Nablus, Salem, and Bethlehem areas [2].
Settlers, escorted and facilitated by Israeli soldiers, marched into Tal and other nearby locations. Soldiers blocked roads and fired smoke bombs at Palestinians during the marches [1, 2]. Palestinian residents reported settlers stealing goods from their properties and vandalizing a cemetery with broken gravestones, actions where soldiers did not intervene [1, 2].
During the raids, Israeli forces shot and wounded at least one Palestinian child near Ramallah and another near Bethlehem [3, 4]. A 22-year-old Palestinian man was beaten by soldiers during his arrest near the Awarta checkpoint south of Nablus [3]. Palestinian witnesses said soldiers fired tear gas and live ammunition to intimidate residents and prevent them from protecting their homes and land [1]. Munther Shtayya, vice-president of the Tal local council, said "All those arrested had no involvement in what happened last week. It was simply an expression of the resentment felt by the Israelis, and part of it was a form of punishment." [1]
The raids and settler actions came a day after a deadly settler attack left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead near Tal village on July 30, which escalated tensions and led Israeli forces to seize four Palestinian homes in Tal and convert them into military barracks [1, 2]. Israeli officials called the settler attack terrorism and vowed expanded West Bank military operations [1]. The Israeli military said civilians had entered Area A of the occupied West Bank, which Israeli law prohibits, and that all settlers had left the Nablus area following the marches [2].
From July 31 to August 1, Israeli forces also raided multiple West Bank towns including Far’ata, Azzun, Imatin, Raba, Tubas, Beit Fajjar, Al-Khader, Al-Majd, and Deir Samet [3, 4]. Palestinian officials say the raids and settler attacks aim to drive Palestinians off land amid a surge in West Bank violence over the past three years [1]. Since October 2023, over 1,182 Palestinians have been killed and more than 13,000 injured in Israeli attacks in the West Bank, with nearly 24,000 detained, according to Palestinian figures [4].
Israeli military raids, arrests, and blockades have been near-daily occurrences in Tal and surrounding areas since the late July deadly settler attack [1, 2].
