Israeli forces raided the West Bank town of Biddu early Monday, detaining at least 53 Palestinian men and converting seized houses into interrogation centres. The raid followed the arrest of a Biddu resident suspected of shooting at vehicles near the Halamish settlement; the suspect was shot, wounded and later detained at a Ramallah hospital. UN OCHA data show a sharp rise in settler-related attacks in the West Bank this year, and observers say violence has intensified as Israel approaches its October 27 election.
Israeli Forces Detain At Least 53 Palestinians In Biddu Raid As West Bank Violence Rises
Israeli forces take part in a raid on the town of Biddu in the occupied West Bank on September 21, 2026 [Mohammed Torokman/Reuters]
Early on Monday, Israeli forces carried out a large-scale operation in the West Bank town of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, detaining at least 53 Palestinian men and converting seized homes into temporary interrogation centres, local officials and journalists reported.
The operation was the third incursion into the town since a Biddu resident suspected of shooting and killing an Israeli settler on Sunday was arrested. The Israeli military said a man armed with a firearm opened fire at vehicles near Halamish — an unauthorised settlement west of Ramallah — and that the suspect was shot, wounded and subsequently arrested during a military operation at a Ramallah hospital.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, Israeli forces continue to hold at least 53 young men in an interrogation centre set up inside one of the houses seized during the raid. "The occupation forces have been conducting a military operation in the town since yesterday. They have turned several homes into detention centres and are interrogating dozens of young men," Biddu Mayor Nazmi Mansour told Al Jazeera.
Mansour said troops remained deployed across the town, carrying out searches and raids while offices, shops and schools were closed. He also said some residents reported being abused or assaulted during the operations and that a pervasive atmosphere of fear and uncertainty had taken hold.
Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah, said Israeli forces were also conducting field interrogations across Biddu, stopping and questioning residents in public. "Locals say the message is clear: any suspected attack on Israelis could bring collective punishment on the whole town and surrounding area," she reported.
The reports place the raid in the context of a wider rise in violence in the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of open hostilities in Gaza in October 2023. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded more than 1,330 settler-related attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank from January through late July, an average of roughly six incidents a day and described as the fastest rate in about two decades.
Various settler groups, sometimes accused of acting with the backing or protection of Israeli soldiers, have been implicated in shootings, sieges of homes and other communal violence — actions some experts and commentators have described using the term "pogroms."
Al Jazeera's Ibrahim also linked the escalation to Israel's approaching national election on October 27, saying politicians may be using tougher rhetoric and security measures to bolster support. The Israeli military's account of the shooting and the subsequent arrest of the suspect represents its official position; allegations of abuse and other claims are reported by local officials and journalists and have not been independently verified in all cases.
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