Khaberni - The Israeli occupation army launched a large-scale military operation - on the dawn of Wednesday - on Tubas governorate in the northern occupied West Bank, accompanied by a raid campaign and intrusion operations into citizens' homes, turning some into military barracks.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth stated that the military operation in Tubas involves three brigades of the Israeli army: Menashe, Samaria, and Commando.
It added that the Israeli army began closing the main roads in the governorate "to reinforce control over the area".
Local sources reported that Israeli forces brought in significant reinforcements and military bulldozers into the governorate.
The sources said Apache helicopters flew intensively over the city, firing in its skies.
Closed Military Barracks
The Israeli occupation army imposed a complete curfew on Tubas and the surrounding towns, closing all entrances with earthen barriers and military checkpoints.
Israeli forces also forced a family in the town of Tammun to evacuate their home to use it as a military barrack.
For its part, the Tammun municipality said that large forces of the occupation army stormed the town, while the occupation aircraft fired on the residents and residential areas.
It added that the occupation forces bulldozed main roads, cut off water lines, closed town entrances, and turned no less than 10 houses into military barracks.
The municipality noted that the occupation closed entire neighborhoods within the town, dividing and isolating them from each other, in addition to raiding a large number of houses.
Operation for Several Days
For his part, the governor of Tubas, Ahmed Al-As'ad, said that the Israeli authorities informed the Palestinian authorities that the military operation in the governorate would continue for several days.
Al-As'ad confirmed that the stated goal of the operation is to pursue Palestinian citizens, but he noted that the governorate is free from any wanted individuals, pointing out that targeting Tubas is because of its geographic location and proximity to the northern Jordan Valley.
He added that the Israeli military reinforcements have led to the paralysis of the residents' movement in the governorate, posing a risk that threatens the lives of citizens, especially the elderly, sick, and children.
In a related context, Israeli incursions continued in other areas of the West Bank. In the Hebron governorate, the Israeli army stormed the Al-Fawar camp south of the city and launched a raid and arrest campaign, as well as storming the town of Halhul north of the city and firing sound bombs and gas at citizens' homes.
The Israeli occupation army also stormed the town of Taluza northeast of Nablus, and the Al-Amari camp south of the city of Al-Bireh, and launched an arrest and raid campaign.
Since October 7, 2023, the attacks in the West Bank have resulted in the martyrdom of 1,083 Palestinians and the injury of about 11,000 others, in addition to the arrest of more than 20,000 citizens, including 1,600 children, according to Palestinian sources.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad Condemn
For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemned the Israeli military operation in Tubas, stating that it exposes "the magnitude of the systematic criminality practiced by the extremist occupation government, as part of a declared policy aimed at crushing any Palestinian existence and achieving full control over the West Bank".
In a press statement, the movement said that the Israeli military actions, including the curfews and closing of towns and cities, represent an extension of "annexation and displacement plans" pursued by the occupation to implement them by turning the cities of the West Bank into "besieged and disjointed areas" and obstructing any signs of normal life.
The movement added that "the continuous aggression will not break the will of the Palestinian people nor the determination of the resistance fighters," affirming that Palestinians will continue their perseverance and rejection of "the colonial control project".
The movement also called for urgent international action to press Israel to stop its military operations and to hold it accountable for the alleged war crimes, considering that the international silence encourages "more violations".
In this context, the Islamic Jihad Movement stated that the Israeli occupation's operation in the West Bank is "a new systematic aggression against our people, as part of the entity's plan aimed at emptying the West Bank of its inhabitants, displacing them, and controlling their land and properties."
The movement added that "the aggression of the occupation coincides with efforts to pass annexation laws that enable settlers to appropriate land in the West Bank".
"Complete Control over the West Bank"
In a related context, the researcher in Israeli affairs, Suleiman Bisharat, stated that the wide military operation conducted by the Israeli army in Tubas falls within the framework of the "Iron Walls" operation, which began at the end of 2024 in Jenin, and later extended to the Al-Far'a camp, Tulkarm, and Nour Shams, indicating that the occupation carried out phased operations in the north of the West Bank to cement its security project.
Bisharat clarified that Israel is simultaneously working to create field and political conditions to impose comprehensive control over the West Bank, through a series of laws and actions that include non-recognition of the Palestinian state, expanding settlements, and seizing land, paving the way, according to his estimation, for a "new Israeli political stage" based on actual annexation.
He added that Tel Aviv presents its operation with a "security" cover, despite the lack of real justification for this scale of incursions, considering that it creates pretexts for passing its projects especially in the north of the West Bank.
Bisharat pointed out that choosing Tubas is linked to its location on the eastern border of the West Bank in an effort to strengthen control over the northern Jordan Valley and complete the annexation project.
He also highlighted two additional factors: exhausting the community structure in the north of the West Bank to weaken its ability to resist, and keeping the army in a state of high readiness based on lessons post-October 7.
