Military Operations - West Bank

March 13: The IDF committed five extra-judicial assassinations against members of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank with one killed in Tulkarem and another four killed in Bethlehem. The move completely torpedoed the cease-fire deal which many had hoped Israel and Hamas were moving towards the day prior with discussions of PA management of five Gaza crossings. The PA declared a general strike in response to the killings, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel will continue to “hunt and target every killer who has Jewish blood on his hands.”
March 5: At 2:40am, IDF troops moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They searched several houses and arrested 10 civilians.

March 2: Hundreds of Palestinians in the city of Hebron gathered to protest the IDF's invasion of Gaza. IDF troops opened fire at the demonstrators, wounding 8 of them, including 4 children. Another 6 were wounded in a similar event in Yatta, south of Hebron.

February 21: The IDF moved into Beita village at approximately 2:00am, raiding several houses and arresting 18 civilians.

February 17: At approximately 1:45am, IDF troops moved into 'Aqraba, a town southeast of Nablus. Several houses were raided and 10 arrests were made.

January 22: Israeli troops invaded Nablus and neighboring 'Askar refugee camp at approximately 2:00am, and made 14 arrests.

January 18: IDF troops stormed Balata refugee camp at 4:45am, and
order all residents out of their homes. 4 Palestinians were arrested, and one militant was killed in the fighting that ensued.

January 16: The IDF moved into Nablus at 1:00am. They searched several houses and arrested 15 Palestinians.

January 7: At approximately 1:30am, the IDF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. The military also moved into neighbouring villages of Teybeh, Zabbouba, and Rummana.
12 civilians were arrested, and an 18-year-old boy was shot and killed outside of Jenin when IDF troops spotted him carrying a home-made gun. The IDF also moved back into Nablus and Balata refugee camp. 15 Palestinians were arrested.

January 3: The IDF moved into Nablus and its surrounding refugee camps, and imposed an immediate curfew. Soldiers transformed a number of buildings in the old city into military bases, and obstructed the work of local medical crews. On one occasion, soliers fired a tear gas canister into a Red Crescent ambulance and arrested a paramedic. Two days into the operation, the IDF set fire to a 2-storey building in the old city. The owner estimated the damage would cost US$250,000. When the people of Nablus demonstrated against the operation, IDF troops fired reubber-coated metal bullets at the crowd, wounding 38, including 19 children. A total of 31 civilians were arrested. The IDF pulled out of Nablus in the afternoon of January 6.

Only major military incursions and largescale lockdowns will be reported here, as the IDF conducts minor search-and-arrest operations throught the West Bank on a daily basis. For more detailed briefings in this field, we encourage you to look at PCHR's weekly reports.