Israeli forces have launched a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank town of Qabatiya, seizing homes, carrying out mass arrests, and imposing a full curfew on residents, according to local sources and Palestinian media.
The operation entered its second day on Saturday (December 27), with Israeli troops sealing off all entrances to the town following orders from Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz, Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera reported.
Local residents told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces stormed into Qabatiya, detaining numerous people and subjecting them to interrogation. The Palestinian news agency Wafa said several residential houses were forcibly taken over and temporarily converted into military interrogation centres, forcing families to evacuate their homes.
Israel’s Army Radio confirmed that a complete curfew is currently in effect across the town.
The Israeli military said the operation was launched after the defence minister claimed that the home of a Palestinian suspect linked to a stabbing and car-ramming attack in northern Israel is located in Qabatiya. According to the army, multiple divisions of troops, border police units, and Shin Bet security personnel are jointly taking part in the raids.
Military officials added that searches have already been conducted at the suspect’s home and preparations are underway to demolish it. Human rights organisations have long condemned Israel’s policy of demolishing the homes of relatives of accused Palestinians, describing it as illegal collective punishment.
An Israeli army statement said operations would continue in other areas of Qabatiya to arrest identified individuals and recover weapons. A resident told Al Jazeera that fear and tension are widespread in the town, with reports of threats and intimidation by troops.
Wafa also reported that Israeli forces carried out raids the same day in several villages around Ramallah and Hebron. At least eight people were detained from the Hebron-area localities of Dura, Abda, and Imreish.
Israeli military raids and settler-related violence in the West Bank have sharply increased since the start of the Gaza war. Since October 7, 2023, nearly 21,000 Palestinians have been arrested. By early December, around 9,300 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons, more than one-third of them without formal charges. Rights groups have raised serious allegations of torture, sexual abuse, and deaths in custody.
