Israeli soldiers stand by an army excavator clearing land for a new road passing in the Palestinian village of Dahriya, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on April 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Ramallah, April 15 (RHC)-- Three young Palestinian men have been injured by Israeli gunfire during a raid on the Jalazone refugee camp north of Ramallah, as settlers simultaneously stepped-up violence in the southern West Bank.
The Palestinian WAFA news agency, citing local sources, reported that Israeli forces raided the camp on Monday, shooting a young man in the abdomen with live ammunition, as well as others in the knee and hand.
In recent months, Israeli forces have escalated their acts of aggression in Jenin and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, increasing their military presence through home demolitions, arrests, and the repurposing of civilian structures into military bases.
Also on Monday, Israeli forces intensified their operations at the entrances to towns and villages in the Salfit Governorate. According to WAFA, the checkpoints were established near the entrance of Qarawat Bani Hassan and another at the entrance of Bruqin, located west of Salfit.
At these checkpoints, soldiers halted vehicles and inspected the identification of citizens. Additionally, they blocked the main northern entrance to Salfit for several days.
Israeli settlers also simultaneously bulldozed agricultural land in the villages of Al-Burj and Masafer Yatta, located south of Hebron. Media activist Osama Makhamreh said that settlers destroyed farmland owned by Saeed Rabaa Al-Amour in the Al-Rakeez region of Masafer Yatta, dismantling stone fences, cutting down several trees, and removing the surrounding fence.
Additionally, settlers chased shepherds in the Sha’b Al-Batm area and the eastern part of Ma’in village in Masafer Yatta. Israeli forces and settlers also cleared land to construct settlement roads in Al-Burj and the town of Adh-Dhahiriya, south of Hebron.
There has been an increase in attacks on citizens’ properties and land by settlers and occupation forces, particularly in Area C, to create colonial roads and establish new outposts.
Israeli forces have significantly intensified their demolition efforts throughout the occupied West Bank, reaching one of the highest levels seen in recent years. In a brief period, hundreds of Palestinian structures have been destroyed, resulting in the displacement of numerous families and raising urgent humanitarian and legal issues.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, recently cautioned that Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank have led to the displacement of 40,000 Palestinians and that the regime is systematically annexing the area.
On April 3rd, Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed that the conditions in the occupied West Bank are “extremely alarming.”
Turk added that his office has confirmed that since October 7, 2023, the Israeli military and settlers have resulted in the deaths of at least 900 Palestinians in the West Bank, which includes 191 children and five individuals with disabilities.
