West Bank Communities Locked Down as Israeli Raids Intensify, Displacing Thousands

Entire Palestinian communities in parts of the occupied West Bank have been placed under de facto lockdown as the Israeli military steps up wide-scale raids across the territory, humanitarians report. Families in several northern towns say they are sheltering inside their homes amid fear of further violence.

Save the Children warned that these lockdowns are preventing children from attending school, threatening household incomes and increasing the risk of physical harm and child detention by security forces.

Security forces imposed a siege on large areas of the northeastern Tubas governorate from Wednesday, and carried out major operations in other West Bank towns, including Jenin. Local reports say dozens were injured in Tubas and more than 160 people were detained during the operations.

Israeli authorities say the campaign aims to dismantle armed groups. Residents and witnesses, however, accuse the military of firing indiscriminately at civilians, blocking journalists and ambulances, and damaging essential infrastructure. Footage from Jenin showing two unarmed Palestinian men who were reportedly attempting to surrender has prompted widespread condemnation.

Humanitarian and UN sources say violence by both military forces and settlers has increased across the occupied West Bank during Israel's wider war in Gaza. United Nations figures indicate that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict began. The northern West Bank has been particularly hard hit: roughly 32,000 people from several refugee camps were forced from their homes since January and have reportedly been prevented from returning.

Rights groups and UN officials say the military has conducted large-scale home demolitions, which they characterise as contributing to a pattern of forced displacement.

Ameer, who works with a partner organisation supporting children in the West Bank, described the raids in Tubas as “a systematic assault by Israeli forces and a continuation of the government's collective punishment policy.” He said the operations are cutting children off from vital services — including education and healthcare — and that “every child in these areas is being denied the right to an education.”

Meanwhile, strikes and limited incidents continue in Gaza despite a US-brokered truce that came into effect last month. Local medical sources reported strikes near Khan Younis and Rafah, and a drone strike that killed a person in Bani Suheila.

According to Gaza health authorities, at least 347 people in the enclave have been killed since the ceasefire began on October 10. Ismail al-Thawabta, director of Gaza's Government Media Office, said that 535 alleged violations by Israeli forces had been documented since the truce and warned that the flow of aid remains far below commitments.

Al-Thawabta reported that only 9,930 of nearly 28,000 requested aid trucks (about 35%) have entered Gaza, saying the shortfall is worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis and stressing that the destruction of infrastructure is undermining basic services.

Humanitarian groups warn that the combination of raids, sieges and restricted aid access is deepening instability and suffering for civilians across both the West Bank and Gaza.