Israeli forces arrested at least 23 Palestinians and demolished several homes in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, while the United Nations warned that the territory was at a “breaking point”. The arrests included two children, one of whom had a disability, and a man detained while grazing livestock in the northern Jordan Valley, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.
The demolitions included the family home of Farouq Ramadan in Tal, southwest of Nablus. Ramadan was one of four Palestinians killed during a confrontation with Israeli settlers on July 24; two Israelis were also killed in the incident.
Where arrests and demolitions took place
At least 11 people were arrested in the Jenin governorate and five in the Bethlehem area, Wafa reported. In the Hebron governorate, Israeli forces demolished another home near Yatta and filled in a water well, displacing nine Palestinians.
Twelve commercial warehouses in Anza and an agricultural facility in Yarza were also bulldozed. In Masafer Yatta, Israeli forces issued demolition notices for the Khallat al-Dabaa school, several homes and agricultural structures.
Related coverage: West Bank journalists faced 108 attacks in July, syndicate says.
Settler attacks and damaged water supplies
Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians ploughing their land in Al-Mughayyir, wounding six people, including three children and two women. The settlers also burned part of the valley and attacked nearby homes, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting.
In Khirbet ar-Ras al-Ahmar, settlers destroyed parts of the main water pipeline, cutting supplies to 30 Palestinian herding families and nearby farms, Wafa reported. In Burqa, six Palestinians, including two children, were wounded after Israeli forces assaulted residents during a raid, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
UN reports rising displacement and settlement expansion
Addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov said Israeli forces and settlers had killed 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, in the West Bank so far this year. About 3,800 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, had been displaced by settler violence, demolitions and evictions.
More context: Two paramedics among six Palestinians hurt across West Bank.
The UN documented more than 1,430 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage across about 260 Palestinian communities in 2026. Since January 2023, 127 Palestinian communities have been fully or partially displaced, including 47 completely uprooted and affecting more than 6,390 people.
Alakbarov said Israeli authorities had advanced or approved about 12,360 settlement housing units across the West Bank this year, including 5,160 in occupied East Jerusalem. He described the developments as interconnected steps advancing “de facto annexation”. The escalation comes as Israel prepares for a parliamentary election in October.
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