RAMALLAH, Palestine 

Israeli forces raided Balata refugee camp east of Nablus in the northern West Bank early Wednesday and surrounded a home there, according to local sources.

Witnesses told Anadolu that Israeli undercover agents entered the camp before military reinforcements arrived from the Huwwara checkpoint and Jerusalem Street.

Residents said the army flew drones over the camp as heavy gunfire and explosions erupted. They added that blasts were caused by detonations at the entrances to homes during the raid.

Israeli forces imposed a siege on a house inside the camp, witnesses said, adding that the identities of those targeted and whether the operation resulted in arrests or injuries were not immediately clear.

As of yet, the Israeli military has not issued a statement on the operation.

Israeli forces were seen leaving Nablus later Wednesday in a social media video after arresting at least one Palestinian man on Al-Ittihad Street.

In the same video, Israeli forces were seen detaining a young man who was on crutches after suffering fractures several days earlier.

Separately, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said Israeli forces carried out arrest raids across several areas of the West Bank. The raids targeted 18 Palestinians, including several teenagers, after soldiers searched homes, and damaged property, the office said, citing continued escalation across the territory.

The Israeli military and illegal settlers have intensified attacks across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, involving killings, arrests, property damage, home demolitions, displacement, and settlement expansion.

Since Oct. 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,117 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, wounded about 11,500 others, and arrested around 22,000, according to Palestinian figures.

The international community and the United Nations consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to be occupied Palestinian territory and regard Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul