Nablus: Israel's army on Thursday turned four Palestinian homes into military barracks during a raid on the town of Tell, southwest of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, while Israeli occupiers began setting up a new outpost on Palestinian land in Jenin. Israeli forces raided Tell in the morning, seized four Palestinian homes, and converted them into military barracks, local sources told Anadolu.
According to Anadolu Agency, the forces also raided the area between the towns of Tell and Surra, with no immediate reports of arrests or confrontations. The raid came days after Israeli occupiers attacked Tell, resulting in the deaths of four Palestinians and two Israelis, and causing significant damage to Palestinian homes and property. This incident has led to accusations that the Israeli army provided protection to the attackers.
In a related development, Israeli occupiers have called for a march on Friday to the site where two Israelis were killed near the town. Separately, the al-Baidar rights group reported that Israeli occupiers began setting up a new illegal settlement outpost on Palestinian land in the village of Fuqu'a, northeast of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Israeli occupiers established another new outpost on land belonging to the town of Yasuf, east of Salfit in the northern West Bank. Yasuf village council head Jumaa Abdel Fattah informed Anadolu that Israeli occupiers installed a tent in the Al-Nasba area, about 50 meters from Palestinian homes.
Illegal settlement outposts, often established without official Israeli government authorization, frequently become the nucleus of settlements that are later legalized or connected to the infrastructure of existing settlements. This practice is monitored by Palestinian and Israeli groups observing settlement activity.
According to Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now, there are currently 141 settlements and 360 settlement outposts in the West Bank, in addition to 15 settlements in East Jerusalem. UN Security Council Resolution 2334, issued in 2016, declares that Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and constitute a flagrant violation of international law.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice stated in an advisory opinion that Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and must end as soon as possible. For weeks, the West Bank has seen an escalation in occupier attacks on Palestinians and their property, amid accusations by Palestinians and Israeli and international rights groups that the Israeli army protects occupiers and sometimes takes part in the attacks.
Since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers have intensified across the West Bank, resulting in over 1,182 Palestinian deaths, around 13,000 injuries, and nearly 24,000 arrests, according to official Palestinian figures. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported that Israeli occupiers carried out 3,488 attacks against Palestinians and their property in the first half of 2026, including attacks on people, property, and land, the establishment of new illegal settlement outposts, and preventing farmers from accessing their land.
Palestinians warn that Israeli policies in the West Bank, including home demolitions and illegal settlement expansion, are paving the way for formal annexation, undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state under relevant UN resolutions.