IOF Expands West Bank Crackdown, Detains Press TV Correspondent

By Staff, Agencies

The “Israeli” occupation detained Press TV correspondent Naqaa Hamed as she returned from al-Khalil Governorate in the occupied West Bank, amid an expanding campaign of raids and detentions across Palestinian cities and towns.

Local media reported that Hamed was detained alongside her work crew following settler incitement against her.

Meanwhile, “Israeli” occupation forces [IOF] carried out raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, storming homes, detaining Palestinians, and deploying military units in several areas. In Zaatara, east of Beit Lahm, the IOF raided homes and facilities, searched the premises, and damaged their contents.

In Nablus Governorate, two young men were detained during raids on Nablus city and Asira al-Shamaliya, where several homes were also searched. In Yatta, south of al-Khalil, military vehicles entered the city as soldiers were deployed from a helicopter. Footage showed IOF moving through the area.

In southern al-Khalil, the IOF detained a large number of Palestinians and subjected them to mistreatment before detaining a child and a young man, holding the two for more than four hours on al-Ikhwa Street.

The raids extended to other parts of the West Bank. In Tulkarm Governorate, the IOF raided Deir al-Ghusun and searched a home, while another young man was detained during a raid on his home in the al-Rashid neighborhood, east of Dhinnaba. In Jenin Governorate, forces entered Zububa, west of Jenin, and raided several homes.

The IOF also raided Tuqu', southeast of Beit Lahm, and seized a delivery driver's motorcycle. In the northern Jordan Valley, settlers were reported gathering near Palestinian homes in the Ain Ghazal area of Al-Farisiyah.

Against this backdrop, UN Women warned that the occupied West Bank is undergoing its most severe deterioration in two decades, driven by settler attacks, IOF operations, and increasingly restrictive movement measures.

The UN agency said 925 movement obstacles are currently restricting Palestinians, the highest figure recorded in 20 years.

Checkpoints, roadblocks, and trenches are obstructing movement between Palestinian communities and access to essential services, with UN Women warning that the escalating violence and restrictions are placing a particularly heavy burden on women and girls.

At the same time, settlement expansion, land seizures, home demolitions, and attacks on Palestinian civilians and property continue across the occupied West Bank.

Separately, the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission warned that occupation authorities are increasingly using archaeological designations to restrict Palestinian access to their land. It said recent notices in Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Jenin do not formally constitute land seizures but can prevent owners from building on or fully using their property.

Once land is designated as an archaeological site, construction and other uses require approval from an archaeology officer affiliated with the occupation’s so-called “Civil Administration.” The designations can also be used to issue stop-work and demolition orders, according to the commission.

The commission said the measures are part of a wider system of administrative and planning restrictions aimed at expanding “Israeli” control over Palestinian land throughout the occupied West Bank.