Israeli soldier injured during military raid in occupied West Bank

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Mohammad Sio

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) – An Israeli soldier was moderately wounded by gunfire during an overnight arrest raid in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the army said Thursday.

A military statement said that forces came under fire from gunmen during the raid, injuring a reserve soldier.

Earlier Thursday, witnesses told Anadolu that Israeli military vehicles raided neighborhoods near the National Hospital and Faisal Street in Nablus, damaging storefronts before expanding the raid into the Old City and surrounding areas. Troops fired live rounds and stun grenades, they said.

Clashes broke out as Palestinians threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with live fire, according to witnesses.

In the southern and eastern outskirts of Nablus, Israeli forces raided homes in the towns of Beita, Urif and Beit Furik, conducting extensive searches and holding residents for field interrogations. A young Palestinian was arrested from his family home, while another was beaten, witnesses said.

The Israeli army has escalated its attacks in the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.

More than 1,076 Palestinians have since been killed, and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory. More than 20,500 people have also been arrested.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.