Israeli Forces Arrest 11 Palestinians as Ben Gvir Boasts of West Bank Demolitions

The arrests targeted Qalqilya, Tulkarm, Jenin, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. In Qalqilya, three Palestinians were taken after forces stormed the city from its eastern entrance. Another three were detained in Bethlehem, while a woman was arrested in Iktaba near Tulkarm. Additional arrests included one man from Jaba south of Jenin, two youths from Qusra near Nablus, and an academic from Biddu northwest of Jerusalem.

Dozens of homes in Madama village near Nablus were raided, with residents subjected to field interrogations. The Prisoners’ Media Office said the daily raids, targeting women, academics, and youth, reflect Israel’s escalating policy of arrests and home invasions.

The raids coincide with rising settler violence against Palestinians and their property, particularly farmland near settlements. Official Palestinian figures show that Israeli military and settler attacks have killed 1,173 Palestinians, injured 12,666, detained about 23,000—including women and children—and displaced 33,000.

Meanwhile, Ben Gvir declared at a Local Government Center conference in Tel Aviv that he had overseen the demolition of 5,700 Palestinian homes in the past year, vowing to continue. He claimed that “illegal construction must be dealt with,” specifically highlighting demolitions in Bedouin communities.

Bedouin villages across the West Bank remain vulnerable, facing isolation and lack of protection. Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government took office in late 2022, Israel has approved 102 new settlements, according to Peace Now. More than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements—excluding East Jerusalem—alongside about three million Palestinians. International law deems these settlements illegal.