Violence Escalates in West Bank as Israeli Raids Intensify

A deadly wave of violence has engulfed the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, fueled by Israeli military operations and regional tensions from strikes in Qatar and Yemen. The surge, marked by shootings, stabbings, and mass detentions, underscores the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict as hopes for a two-state solution fade.

On Monday, a Hamas-claimed shooting at a Jerusalem bus stop killed six Israelis, while a separate stabbing attack wounded two others. In the West Bank city of Jenin, Israeli forces shot and killed two 14-year-old Palestinian boys, Islam Majarmeh and Mohammed Masqala, during a raid. Abdul Aziz, father of Islam, recounted the tragedy: “He was standing next to me, and suddenly he collapsed, face-first.” The family had returned to their destroyed home to retrieve belongings, believing the army had withdrawn. The Israeli military claimed the boys entered a restricted area and approached soldiers threateningly, but said the incident is under review.

On Wednesday, another 14-year-old, Oday Turkman, was shot and wounded while riding his bike in Jenin. His father, Faisal, insisted Oday posed no threat, stating, “He wasn’t carrying a stone or anything.” The military said troops fired in response to stone-throwing. According to the United Nations, at least 18 Palestinian children under 15 have been killed by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank since January 2025, highlighting the rising toll on civilians.

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On Thursday, a roadside bomb in Tulkarem, claimed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, lightly wounded two Israeli soldiers, prompting a massive raid. Israeli forces detained hundreds, marching dozens of men in a line to a field near a checkpoint, where most were held overnight and released by early Friday, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club. Yazeed Al-Sarghali, a pharmacist detained during the raid, described being forced to walk “like a train” with others, while Mohammed Baddo, 19, said troops detained him without taking IDs or phones, leaving them sitting for hours.

A separate militant attack on Friday saw a Palestinian hotel worker stab two guests near Jerusalem, further escalating tensions. Israel’s near-daily raids, intensified since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 and sparked the Gaza war, aim to curb militant activities. However, Palestinians view these operations as cementing Israel’s control over the West Bank, where 500,000 settlers enjoy full citizenship while 3 million Palestinians live under military rule with limited autonomy.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a ceremony Thursday to formalize the E1 settlement project near Jerusalem, vowed, “There will be no Palestinian state. This place is ours.” The project, criticized by Palestinians and rights groups for splitting the West Bank and severing it from east Jerusalem, threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state, which the international community sees as the only path to peace. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and Gaza in the 1967 war, territories Palestinians claim for their state.

The violence comes amid Israel’s broader military actions, including strikes in Qatar and Yemen, which have heightened regional tensions. With tens of thousands killed in Gaza and no resolution in sight, the West Bank’s unrest reflects the deepening divide. Hamas has signaled potential acceptance of a state along 1967 borders, but its official stance remains Israel’s destruction, while Israel’s government staunchly opposes Palestinian statehood, leaving the conflict at a deadly impasse.

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