ISRAELI SETTLERS AND SOLDIERS RAID NABLUS AREA

Israeli settlers accompanied by soldiers stormed the town of Tal and surrounding areas southwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to reports from the region. Medical sources reported that at least 10 people, including four children, were injured during raids in the Junaid neighbourhood of Nablus. Israeli forces fired live ammunition, stun grenades and tear gas during the operation, residents said. At least one of the injured was shot in the stomach, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Israeli soldiers detained at least 10 people across the occupied West Bank, including from Nablus, Tal, Salem and Bethlehem, Palestinian media reported.

The Israeli military stated that "Israeli civilians" had entered Area A of the occupied West Bank, which is prohibited under Israeli law, and that all had since left the Nablus area. The military also said it received reports that a Palestinian cemetery was vandalised. On Thursday morning, prior to the Friday raids, Israeli forces had seized four Palestinian homes in Tal and converted them into military barracks. The raids followed calls from Israeli settlers for a large-scale march on Tal on Friday in response to the deaths of two Israelis who were part of a group of settlers that attacked the town the previous week, when four Palestinians were killed and several wounded.

The operation involved damage to Palestinian properties and attacks on residents, local media reported. Video published on Friday by Palestinian online accounts and verified by international outlets showed Israeli soldiers gathering in numbers in Tal. The raids represent a continuation of escalating violence and tensions in the occupied West Bank.