Israel continues siege of West Bank for 8th day

Israeli forces have continued their siege of West Bank cities and towns for the eighth consecutive day on Friday. The ongoing siege of the Hebron Governorate witnessed a surge in military raids, arrests, and settler attacks, leading to forced displacements and property destruction. Israeli occupation forces increased their military presence in the Deir Bahha area, west of Hebron, through the city's northern entrance near Farsh al-Hawa.

The entrances to the governorate, along with the al-Jalda and Deir Bahha areas, remained closed. Occupation forces conducted house raids, damaging property, and stormed neighborhoods in Hebron and the village of al-Rihiya to the south, detaining three Palestinians, including a former prisoner released just a day earlier, on Thursday.

The Palestinian news agency "Wafa" reported that the arrests were linked to homecoming celebrations, resulting in physical assaults on the detainees. Displacement data shows that 537 families, totaling 3,361 Palestinians, have been displaced from the al-Jalda and Deir Bahha areas due to military operations and closures. Local sources estimate that the closure of Hebron has caused daily economic losses of 10 to 12 million shekels.

The sieges have disrupted the education of around 262,000 students in 589 schools within the governorate. In Tulkarm, Israeli forces arrested four Palestinians following home raids in Kafr Sur and Kafr Abbush, south of the city. Settler attacks have also intensified, with Palestinians sustaining injuries in Burqa, northwest of Nablus, and in Mas'udiya and Yasid.

Farmers in Beit ar-Rush al-Fuqa were barred from accessing their land, an agricultural structure was set ablaze in Masafer Yatta, and numerous Palestinians faced assaults across the West Bank. Hamas condemned the escalating aggression against Hebron and other West Bank cities, calling for international intervention to halt the military operations and violations.