In a major overnight operation, Israeli occupation forces conducted a widespread arrest campaign across the West Bank in the early hours of Monday, detaining dozens of Palestinians, including a journalist and a teenager. The occupation military raids coincided with a surge in violent attacks and land seizures by Israeli settlers.
Early this morning, Israeli settler fanatics stormed a Muslim cemetery near the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, smashing graves during their incursion. pic.twitter.com/PfM2cNQcik
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 5, 2026
The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reported that journalist Inas Ikhlawi was arrested after soldiers raided her home in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron. Arrests were reported in multiple governorates:
Mohammed Tawfiq Eghbaria, a Palestinian from the village of Musmus in 1948‑occupied Palestine, was forced to demolish his own home following an Israeli court order.
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 5, 2026
He lamented, “The best years of my life are gone, and now I am homeless.” pic.twitter.com/tnLzCYC7gJ
· Qalqilya: Multiple citizens detained during home raids.
· Ramallah & Al-Bireh: A young man arrested in Silwad town.
· Tulkarem: Raids in the Iktaba suburb and Anabta town, where 15-year-old Yazan Al-Aloul was detained.
· Tubas & Nablus: Two youths arrested in Wadi Al-Far’a and a third in Nablus.
· Bethlehem: Over 25 citizens were taken in what was described as a sweeping campaign in Aida Refugee Camp, involving extensive home raids.
Parallel Settler Violence
The occupation military escalation followed a day of intensified settler attacks on Sunday. In the Bethlehem district, settlers moved to fence off approximately 15 dunams of olive groves belonging to the Al-Asakra family in the Tuqu’ town, in an apparent land seizure attempt.
“The land lies just tens of meters from residential homes,” said Taysir Abu Mfarreh, head of the Tuqu’ Municipal Council.
In Nablus, settlers driving a vehicle with Palestinian license plates entered Beit Dajan village and attempted to assault a resident and his child on the main road before fleeing when local villagers intervened.
Israeli settlers graze their sheep on Palestinian land in the village of Shallal Al-Auja, north of Jericho, as part of a colonial strategy aiming to permanently occupy and control as much land as possible through grazing. pic.twitter.com/dneq6oqdaA
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 5, 2026
Additional Occupation Military Incursions
Israeli occupation forces also conducted incursions into several villages on Sunday evening, though no arrests were reported. Soldiers raided shops and inspected surveillance cameras in Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah. Later, forces deployed in neighborhoods of Al-Bireh city and stormed Beitin village, east of Ramallah.
The coordinated enemy raids and settler activities mark a significant escalation of tensions across the occupied territory.