Şahin Demir
31 July 2026•Update: 31 July 2026
The Israeli army said Friday it had arrested more than 200 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank over the past week as part of an expanded military operation launched after last week’s violence in the town of Tell near Nablus.
In a statement, the army said its forces arrested more than 200 Palestinians whom it described as “wanted” and seized tens of thousands of shekels that it alleged were intended to finance “terrorism.”
It said the arrests and seizures were carried out during intensive operations across multiple areas of the occupied West Bank.
The army also claimed to have conducted dozens of what it described as offensive operations to thwart “terrorism.”
According to the statement, those arrested included Palestinians accused of incitement and links to Hamas, one person alleged to have been planning an imminent attack, and others accused of smuggling Palestinian workers, trafficking weapons and manufacturing explosives.
The army also said it seized materials used to manufacture weapons, hunting rifles, a handgun and a drone, while locating and destroying five explosive devices.
The arrests came days after violence erupted last Friday in the town of Tell, southwest of Nablus, where Israeli settlers attacked the community. Residents confronted the attackers in clashes that left four Palestinians and two Israelis dead, while Palestinian homes, vehicles and other property were set ablaze.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to expand operations across the occupied West Bank. The measures also included demolishing the home of a Palestinian accused by Israel of carrying out a shooting attack, revoking work permits for Palestinians and accelerating the legalization and establishment of settlement outposts.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned Friday that Israeli officials were exploiting what it described as “genocidal rhetoric and incitement” over the Tell incident for electoral gains.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have intensified operations across the occupied West Bank, killing more than 1,182 Palestinians, injuring around 13,000 and arresting nearly 24,000 others, according to official Palestinian figures.
