Israeli forces detain 17 Palestinians in West Bank raids, settlers dump sewage on farms

Israeli army units carried out coordinated raids across the occupied West Bank early Sunday, targeting the Qalandia refugee camp, Nablus, Sebastia and other towns. The operations resulted in at least 17 Palestinians being taken into custody, including journalist Enes Havvari, and one youth was wounded by gunfire. Separate raids in Nablus, the southern town of Beyt Sahur and the Kalkilya refugee camp added further arrests, with reports of homes and vehicles being damaged.

In a related incident, Israeli settlers from the illegal Gush Etzion bloc dumped large quantities of sewage onto Palestinian agricultural land near the village of Beit Ummar. The waste contaminated vineyards, apple and almond orchards just before the grape harvest, causing significant crop loss.

Palestinian officials cite the period since October 2023 as having produced 1,173 Palestinian deaths, 12,666 injuries, about 23,000 arrests and the displacement of more than 33,000 people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.