Israel launches major assault in West Bank city as helicopters shoot at homes

Israeli forces launched an extensive military assault on the northern occupied West Bank city of Tubas on Wednesday.

Troops stormed Palestinian homes in the early morning hours in the towns of Tammun, Tayasir and Aqaba, turning several houses into temporary military barracks. Residents were forcibly removed from their homes.

Israeli forces also closed roads and erected earth mounds, obstructing the movement of people across the area.

According to local media, Apache helicopters were seen flying over the city, reportedly firing arbitrarily at civilian homes.

Several videos posted online appear to show Israeli forces setting up equipment on the roofs of civilian homes. Additional footage shows troops blocking ambulance crews attempting to reach Palestinians in need.

Due to the intensified military incursion, the Tubas Governorate announced the suspension of work in all governmental and private institutions - including schools - with operations shifting online for the day.

The governor of Tubas said the Israeli army is justifying its latest operation - which he expects to last several days - by claiming it is pursuing wanted Palestinians. He stressed, however, that no such individuals are present in the area.

Israeli Army Radio reported that a military division comprising three brigades is taking part in the Tubas operation. 

In a statement, an Israeli army spokesperson said the military, alongside the Shin Bet intelligence agency and Border Guard forces, is conducting a large-scale campaign to stop what they described as “terrorist activities” in the occupied territory.

He added that the army “will not allow terrorism to take root and will work proactively to thwart it”.

Large-scale incursions 

Hamas strongly condemned the incursion, saying in a statement that it exposes “the extent of the systematic criminality practised by the extremist occupation government, under a declared policy aimed at crushing any Palestinian presence in order to achieve complete control over the West Bank”.

The Islamic Jihad movement issued a similar response, describing the operation as “a new systematic aggression against our people”. It added that the military campaign seeks to empty the occupied territory of Palestinians, displace them, and seize their land and property.

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Military raids were reported across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, including in Tulkarm, Nablus and Hebron.

Since 7 October 2023, Israel has intensified its already substantial military presence in the territory.

Over the past two years, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians and arrested thousands more across the occupied West Bank.

While the Israeli military maintains that it targets only militants, human rights groups have documented the arbitrary arrest and killing of unarmed civilians since 7 October. 

Israeli forces are also increasingly conducting large-scale incursions involving mass forced displacement in major Palestinian cities.

In early 2025, Israeli forces attacked Jenin and Tulkarm, displacing around 30,000 people and destroying homes on a large scale.