Israeli army uproots 200 grapevines in occupied West Bank, raids towns

Israeli forces used bulldozers to level agricultural land in the town of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, uprooting roughly 200 mature grapevines, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Deputy Mayor Husni Issa said the land-clearing took place in the Um Rukba area south of the town, Wafa added.

In separate incidents, Israeli forces raided a Palestinian home in the town of Hizma, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, and converted it into a military post, the agency said.

Troops deployed throughout the town, stormed the house and forced the family to evacuate before using it as a military position as part of ongoing operations in the area, Wafa added.

The agency said Israeli forces also entered the villages of Kafr Malik and Barqa, northeast and east of Ramallah, with no reports of arrests or home raids.

In the southern West Bank, witnesses said Israeli troops raided the town of al-Dhahiriya in the Hebron governorate, set up a checkpoint, searched Palestinian vehicles and forced some young men to exit their cars for body searches.

Israeli military operations in the West Bank have intensified since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, including killings, home demolitions, displacement of Palestinians and settlement expansion. Palestinians argue the escalation aims to pave the way for Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, which they say would effectively end prospects for a two-state solution envisioned in UN resolutions.

More than 1,110 Palestinians have been killed, about 11,500 wounded and over 21,000 arrested in the West Bank during this period, according to official Palestinian figures.