Israel arrests 80 Palestinians in West Bank crackdown

Israel launched a large‑scale arrest operation in the West Bank from Friday night to Saturday morning, detaining at least 80 Palestinians. The sweeps came less than 24 hours after a clash in the town of Tell, south of Nablus, that left four Palestinians and one Israeli dead.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said most of those taken were former detainees and that the arrests were a response to Palestinians’ attempts to defend their towns and land from settler attacks. Over 3,600 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank this year.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Katz announced new measures, including intensified military operations, additional checkpoints and the creation of a new agricultural zone. Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas reported that Israeli forces have sealed off all access to the city, leaving thousands of residents cut off from homes in northern West Bank.

Daghlas warned that Israeli extremists are exploiting the situation ahead of the Knesset election on 27 October. Al‑Quds University political science professor Ahmed Rafiq Awad said the coming months could be dangerous, accusing the Israeli government of financially and militarily supporting settlers.