Israeli Forces Besiege Tubas Governorate, Forcing Dozens from Their Homes

Israeli forces have sealed off large areas of the Tubas governorate in the northern Jordan Valley, deploying heavy reinforcements and imposing a sweeping siege that has effectively isolated the region from the rest of the occupied West Bank.

Before dawn, military bulldozers blocked access roads with piles of earth while attack helicopters fired rounds over empty fields around Tubas in what residents described as an intimidation tactic. Troops then carried out house-to-house searches in Tubas and four neighbouring towns, including Tammun and Aqqaba, as the army announced an operation it said targeted resistance fighters.

“The assault is targeting Tubas for its location near the Jordan Valley, in a new effort to impose new realities,” Tubas Governor Ahmed Asaad said, rejecting the security justification.

Governor Asaad said roughly 30 families were forced from their homes and that soldiers seized several buildings on high ground overlooking the governorate. More than 50,000 Palestinians live across the five towns now encircled by the army.

Local authorities imposed a military curfew, suspended schools and public services, and activated emergency committees. Movement of ambulances and medical teams was reportedly restricted, with officials contacting the International Committee of the Red Cross to request intervention and safe medical transfers. Palestine Red Crescent Society medics said at least two Palestinians were taken to hospital after being beaten by soldiers during raids.

Residents described the operation, which began shortly after midnight, as resembling the large-scale incursions carried out across the West Bank since the 2023 Gaza offensive—operations that have included home demolitions, road razing and mass detentions. Many locals and rights groups view these actions as part of a wider pattern of displacement and control across the occupied territory.

Hamas condemned the raids, calling them actions of a “criminal” occupation and alleging the moves are intended to crush Palestinian presence and secure full control of the West Bank. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement denounced the operation as part of an “open war” to annex the West Bank and accused the United States of enabling what it described as systematic aggression.

International agencies warn the operation fits into a broader humanitarian crisis: the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports nearly 7,500 raids across the West Bank this year and describes the territory as facing its worst displacement crisis in decades due to demolitions, military operations and rising settler violence. OCHA also notes that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank over the past two years.

Human Rights Watch has stated that mass displacement from three refugee camps earlier this year amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, while UNRWA estimates nearly 32,000 Palestinian refugees were forced from those camps and surrounding neighbourhoods. Local officials and humanitarian organizations have called for immediate measures to protect civilians and ensure access to medical care.

The situation in Tubas remains fluid. Authorities and humanitarian groups continue to monitor developments and press for safe passage for civilians and urgent medical transfers for those in need.