Israeli occupation forces launched a sweeping arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank in the early hours of Wednesday, storming homes and neighborhoods in multiple governorates as fierce confrontations erupted with Palestinian youths.
The large-scale operation stretched from Bethlehem and Nablus to Qalqilya, Hebron, Ramallah, Jenin, Jericho, occupied Jerusalem, and Tulkarm, with Israeli occupation troops deploying heavily in residential areas and detaining numerous Palestinians in a coordinated overnight offensive.
Bethlehem Under Siege
In the Bethlehem governorate, violent clashes broke out in the town of Tuqu’, southeast of the city, after occupation forces stormed the area, firing stun grenades and tear gas at residents. The incursion later expanded to Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, as well as al-Saff Street in the city center and the Dheisheh refugee camp to the south.
Israeli occupation forces abduct Palestinian journalist Abdul Rahman Hassan after storming his home on Al-Saf Street in central Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/BTHXlR5j0J
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 19, 2026
During the raids, occupation troops arrested Palestinian journalist Abdul Rahman Hassan after ransacking his home in Bethlehem. Separately, Israeli settlers conducted provocative tours near the Ush Ghrab area east of the city, further inflaming local tensions.
Clashes Erupt South of Nablus
Further north, confrontations intensified in the village of Madama, south of Nablus, where Israeli occupation forces fired heavy volleys of tear gas and stun grenades during a military incursion. Troops also stormed Beita, south of Nablus, and entered the northern mountain area of Nablus city, in addition to raiding a residential building near the al-Ain refugee camp west of the city.
Two Palestinian brothers, Udai and Mohammad Abu Laban, were kidnapped this morning by Israeli occupation forces after they raided their home in the Karm Ashour neighborhood of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/TughXPgkhE
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 19, 2026
Local sources reported that brothers Asim and Yasser Ali Makhlouf were arrested during a raid on the village of Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus. In Beit Furik, east of Nablus, a settler from a nearby outpost harassed residents by directing laser beams toward homes, according to local accounts.
Qalqilya and Hebron Raids
In the Qalqilya governorate, occupation forces stormed the town of Habla, detaining Ahmad Issam Odeh during the raid. Troops also entered Azzun, east of Qalqilya, after an Israeli special unit infiltrated the town ahead of a larger military sweep that saw multiple homes raided.
In the southern West Bank, a large Israeli military force accompanied by two bulldozers stormed al-Dhahiriya, south of Hebron. Troops raided homes across several neighborhoods, converting some into military posts, while closing roads and deploying infantry throughout the city in a show of force.
Israeli occupation soldiers abduct two Palestinians during an incursion into the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. The two are seen being forcibly taken away, blindfolded and handcuffed. pic.twitter.com/pJYBJjS6tW
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 19, 2026
Incursions Spread Across Governorates
Additional raids were reported in the al-Hafr area of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah; the village of Aaba, east of Jenin; Fasayil, north of Jericho; Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem; and Deir al-Ghusun, north of Tulkarm, as the occupation’s dragnet extended across much of the territory.
Escalating Violence
The overnight campaign marks the latest chapter in a sustained wave of Israeli military and settler violence across the occupied West Bank. Recent months have seen a sharp escalation in attacks, including the killing and mass arrest of Palestinians, the demolition and destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure, the burning of mosques and vehicles, the bulldozing of agricultural land, and restrictions preventing farmers from accessing their fields.
Settlement expansion has continued unabated, with outposts encroaching further on Palestinian land, as international calls for de-escalation remain largely unheeded. The West Bank, already reeling from months of heightened tensions, now braces for what appears to be an intensifying occupation campaign with no end in sight.
Source: Palestinian media (edited and translated by Al-Manar)