Israeli raid in West Bank’s Qalandiya injures 51 Palestinians

What Happened

Israeli forces conducted a large-scale raid in the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, injuring at least 51 Palestinians, according to the Jerusalem Governorate. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that 35 people were hospitalised after severe beatings, one was hit by a rubber-coated steel bullet, and six suffered tear gas inhalation. Six others were treated at the scene. PRCS said its ambulance crews were blocked from reaching the wounded since late Wednesday night. Israeli soldiers demolished commercial shops near the Qalandiya checkpoint, imposed a curfew on the neighbouring town of Kafr Aqab, and sealed roads linking the area to Jerusalem. Dozens of Palestinians, including children and women, were detained for field interrogations inside homes converted into makeshift holding sites, according to local media. Israeli forces also raided Jenin on Thursday, shooting one Palestinian and assaulting another, per PRCS.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The Qalandiya raid, alongside the continued systematic approval of illegal settlements by Bezalel Smotrich and firearms distribution to settlers by Itamar Ben-Gvir, signals an intensification of state-backed military and settler violence in the occupied West Bank. This surge, documented alongside over 11,000 attacks in the first half of the year and a UN inquiry finding Israeli authorities enabled settler attacks, risks further destabilising the area while the Gaza war persists. The revocation of US sanctions on violent settlers by President Trump removes a key deterrent, even as other Western governments maintain targeted sanctions.

Watch For

Monitor for further Israeli military operations in Qalandiya and Jenin, potential escalation of settler violence and land seizures, and any responses from the UK, Canada, or France regarding additional sanctions on Israeli officials or settlers. Watch for changes in US policy under the Trump administration on settlers or UNRWA, particularly as Israel moves to ban the agency in East Jerusalem and demolish its facilities near Qalandiya.