Israeli occupation forces continued their assault on Tubas Governorate in the northern occupied West Bank for a second consecutive day on Thursday, amid a heavy military presence, a comprehensive curfew, and the complete closure of all entrances to the governorate and neighbouring areas.
The military operation began on Wednesday morning with a large-scale raid involving significant numbers of Israeli occupation soldiers. The initial hours saw indiscriminate gunfire from military helicopters, marking a serious escalation in the use of military force within densely populated residential areas.
Drones have been flying intensively over the city and surrounding towns, while main and side roads remain blocked with dirt mounds and checkpoints.
The governorate has witnessed widespread violations against civilian property. Israeli occupation forces vandalised the contents of Palestinian homes during raids and damaged water networks east of Tammun town, cutting off supplies to dozens of homes.
According to field reports, the forces detained dozens of citizens during house raids and transferred them to field interrogation centres under harsh conditions, before releasing some of them while still handcuffed.
The total number of detainees has exceeded 100 Palestinians, about half of them from Tammun. Twenty-seven individuals were released on Wednesday evening, while others remained restrained even after returning home.
Raids involved direct assaults on residents, including the elderly, alongside acts of humiliation and abuse during searches and detention.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced it had treated 25 injuries resulting from Israeli occupation soldiers’ assaults on civilians, including an 85-year-old man. Five of the injured were taken to hospital, while others received field treatment despite significant challenges in accessing affected areas due to the military blockade.
The assault on Tubas coincides with a broader escalation in the West Bank, ongoing for more than two years, characterised by increased raids, assassinations, arrests, and use of live fire in civilian areas, practices in violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits targeting civilians or causing unjustified destruction of their property.
Imposing a siege on an entire city, closing roads, and restricting movement contravenes the principles of proportionality and military necessity that are supposed to govern actions by occupying forces.
According to official Palestinian data, the escalation since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023 has led to the killing of over 1,083 Palestinians in the West Bank, the injury of nearly 11,000, and the arrest of more than 20,500 individuals, reflecting an expansion of collective punishment and systematic violations.
The ongoing assault on Tubas represents a new chapter in the military escalation across the West Bank and underscores the growing scale of violations against civilians and their property, amid the absence of any sign that these internationally unlawful practices will be halted.
