By Ahmed Asmar
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army raided the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp on Monday, in the latest escalation in the occupied West Bank.
According to witnesses, Israeli forces stormed several neighborhoods in the camp in Jericho city and searched several shops there.
No details were yet available about injuries or arrests.
The Palestinian official news agency Wafa also reported home demolitions by the Israeli army in the Masafer Yatta neighborhood in the southern West Bank.
Israeli forces, escorted by bulldozers, raided the Khallet al-Dabaa area and demolished five Palestinian houses and a cave, where some 40 people lived, the broadcaster said.
According to Wafa, electricity and water networks were destroyed by Israeli forces during the raid.
The latest raids were part of a broader offensive launched by the Israeli army in Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas in the northern West Bank since Jan. 21, killing more than 30 Palestinians.
The Israeli escalation follows a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza on Jan. 19 after more than 15 months of Israeli bombardment which has killed nearly 48,200 Palestinians and devastated the enclave.
Since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 910 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.