During the Gaza war, Israeli forces have carried out multiple ground incursions, occasionally accompanied by airstrikes, into several Palestinian cities and refugee camps in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including Jenin and Tulkarm. The Israeli incursions have led to clashes with Palestinian militants. At least 806 West Bank Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the conflict began, including 143 children. The United Nations recorded more than 800 Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians between October 2023 and May 2024. Israel arrested an estimated 10,000 West Bank Palestinians between 7 October 2023 and August 2024. On 15 December, Doctors Without Borders reported 2023 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in recorded history.
== Background == Tensions and violence between Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank were escalating long before the start of the 2023 war. According to the UN, 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians on record, and the year to September 2023 already represented the deadliest year in history for children in the West Bank.
Incursions into Jenin
=== October 2023 === On 12 October 2023, Israel conducted a raid in Jenin, West Bank, resulting in the reported detention of a Hamas fighter and injuries to other individuals. On 14 October 2023, another raid was launched in the city, leading to the deaths of multiple people. On 22 October 2023, an airstrike carried out by the Israel Defense Forces targeted Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad groups organising an "imminent terror attack" at the Al-Ansar Mosque, causing extensive damage. Two people were killed, and three others were injured. The IDF asserted that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) had been operating from a compound beneath the mosque. The Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki, characterized the attack as a "dangerous escalation in the use of warplanes" and expressed concern over the adoption of tactics from Gaza. On 27 October, Ayser Mohammad Al-Amer, a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was reportedly killed during a clash with the IDF. On 29 October, the IDF removed the Jenin Horse, a monument built in 2003 out of scrap metal, including pieces of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance where Khalil Suleiman was killed by the IDF. On 30 October, Israeli forces again raided Jenin, engaging in fighting that reportedly killed two Palestinians.
=== November 2023 === On 17 November, the IDF reportedly engaged in clashes with militants from the Al-Quds Brigades and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin over several hours. This confrontation resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including three Hamas fighters and two civilians. Another clash occurred on 29 November, during which the IDF reportedly clashed with PIJ militants, leading to the death of two militants. On 29 November, the IDF killed Muhammad al-Zubaidi, a prominent militant leader of the Jenin Battalion responsible for coordinating the efforts of armed groups in the Jenin Camp. Wissam Ziad Hanoun was also killed. During the raid suspects threw explosive devices at IDF soldiers and they responded with live fire. CCTV footage depicting the killings show 14-year old Basel Abu Al-Wafa being shot at multiple times, sustaining mortal wounds while 8-year old Adam Al-Ghool was killed with a shot to the head.
=== December 2023 === On 5 December, clashes resulted in the injury of five Palestinians. On 6 December, a violent confrontation with the IDF resulted in the death of one teenage protester and injuries to two others. On 12 December, five Palestinians were killed, while another man was killed later that day. On 13 December, a Palestinian protester was killed, and two others along with a child were wounded by Israeli gunfire. On 14 December, Israel stated its forces had arrested 60 wanted individuals, confiscated more than 50 weapons, discovered explosives and funds exceeding NIS 100,000, and uncovered underground shafts, explosives labs, and observation posts. According to IDF statements, forces reportedly destroyed infrastructure, seized ammunition, and targeted two squads with the air force, resulting in seven reported deaths and injuries. Over ten individuals, and a total of 12 Palestinians were killed in reported clashes. A 17-year-old was reportedly shot and killed by IDF forces inside the Khalil Suleiman hospital compound near the Jenin refugee camp, according to accounts by the Doctors Without Borders. A female Israeli soldier shot and killed a Palestinian man on 22 December for attempting to move his car. Raids on 24 December in Jenin and multiple other areas in the West Bank resulted in more than ten arrests. At least ten houses were raided on 25 December.
=== January 2024 === A dozen raids were reported on 2 January, with a violent raid in Jenin and violent confrontations in Azzun, resulting in the death of four Palestinians. Raids were reported in Ya'bad on 5 January, with an 11-year-old wounded. A doctor described a drone strike on 7 January, stating one man "was decapitated. It seemed the missile directly hit him. Others had their limbs severed." All entrances into Jenin were reported blocked on 9 January. The chair of the Jenin high-level committee stated Israel had destroyed streets, electric poles, water lines, and a monument to Shireen Abu Akleh. The British charity Action Around Bethlehem Children with Disability stated it had been damaged by Israeli forces. On 13 January, Israeli soldiers surrounded the Al Amal Hospital, searching ambulances. A young man was killed during a raid and his brother was arrested on 25 January. The IDF destroyed roundabouts on 28 January. Three young men were reportedly beaten severely by IDF troops in a raid on Ya'bad on 29 January. On 30 January, an additional three young Palestinian men, claimed by the IDF to be militants, were assassinated in a Jenin hospital by Israeli commandos disguised in medical uniforms. The men were reportedly killed in their beds while they were asleep. Some legal analysis have remarked that these actions might constitute a war crime.
=== February 2024 === Two young men in their late-twenties were hospitalized after being beaten for several hours by Israeli soldiers and left in an olive grove. A raid on 13 February destroyed infrastructure, including water, sewage, and internet networks. A young man was killed by Israeli forces on 13 February, after the soldiers refused to allow medical personnel to reach him. Clashes were reported in Qabatiya after Israeli forces destroyed people's property and vehicles. Israeli Army Radio stated that three Palestinians were killed in an air raid on 20 February. A 25-year-old was killed on 21 February. A strike on 22 February killed one and wounded 15; two more people died from this strike in the following days. The Israeli forces put the village of Jalbun under military lockdown after Israeli demolitions of Palestinian shacks led to confrontations and an arrest.
=== March 2024 === An 18-year-old boy died from gunshot wounds to the head on 5 March. Two were killed during a raid on 12 March. Israeli forces opened fire on the Jenin Government Hospital wounding civilians standing in front of the emergency department and killing two. An Israeli airstrike killed three people on 21 March, the second airstrike in less than a month. Doctors reported four casualties following an Israeli drone raid on 27 March. Al Jazeera English reported Israel's "frequent use of drones to kill Palestinians." A 19-year-old was reported dead from serious gunshot wounds. According to the official Palestinian news agency, a 13-year-old was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Qabatiya.
=== May 2024 === Authorities stated a teacher and a doctor, as well as two teenagers, were among seven people killed on 21 May 2024. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society posted footage reportedly showing Israeli troops preventing medics from transporting a wounded person. Defense for Children International called on the U.S. to stop providing arms used to kill children after Israeli snipers killed two 15-year-old boys. Verified footage from the raid showed Israeli forces abusing stripped Palestinian men.
=== June 2024 === In mid-June 2024, Israeli forces reportedly beat a young man from Jenin into unconsciousness.
=== January 2025 === On 21 January, Israeli forces launched an operation in Jenin, with Palestinian media reported that several airstrikes targeted the city and the refugee camp as well as a raid by Israeli soldiers, killing at least ten Palestinians and nearly 40 others were injured. On 23 January, two Palestinians were killed during an Israeli raid, with Israeli forces stated that both of them were members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and were wanted for perpetrating an attack earlier that month which killed three Israelis. On 30 January, two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces inside the Jenin refugee camp.
=== February 2025 === On 1 February, five Palestinians, including a teenager, were killed by Israeli drone strikes in the city.
=== September 2025 === On 8 September, Israeli forces in Jenin killed two 14 year old Palestinian boys during a raid. On 24 September, a 19-year-old man was killed during an Israeli raid near Anzah, Jenin after the IDF claimed that he "threw an explosive device" at them.
=== May 2026 === On 16 May, a 34-year-old Palestinian man was killed after Israeli forces raided and opened fire at the Jenin refugee camp. The IDF later stated that Israeli soldiers shot him after the man tried to "infiltrate" the area, wherein "the soldiers are operating, and the entry is prohibited".
== Incursions into Tulkarm == The Israeli military conducted invasions and operations on the West Bank city of Tulkarm and the city's two camps (Tulkarm camp and Nur Shams camp) in 2023 and 2024, in part due to the city being the stronghold of the Tulkarm Brigade. The invasions of the city took place before and during the October 7 attacks that erupted on October 7, 2023. The Israeli invasion of Tulkarm was met with Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, and international condemnation. One of the largest incursions occurred on October 19, 2023, which lasted for about thirty continuous hours, leaving thirteen Palestinians dead and more than thirty wounded, as well as causing extensive destruction to homes, streets and infrastructure. The incursion on January 3, 2024, which lasted for about 40 hours, was also significant. Additional prominent incursion include the incursion on January 17, 2024, which lasted for about 45 continuous hours, leaving eight Palestinians dead and causing massive destruction, while the incursion of April 18, 2024 lasted for more than 60 continuous hours, leaving a large number of Palestinian citizens dead and causing immense destruction. The continuous incursion on Tulkarm represented the largest, longest, most extensive, and most destructive invasions on the West Bank since the Second Intifada. The Israeli invasion of Tulkarm coincided with statements made by Israeli officials calling for the destruction of the city. On May 29, 2024, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that "terror must be eliminated everywhere, even if it means turning Tulkarm into a city like Gaza"; on May 30, 2024, Smotrich also said that "if terrorism continues, we will turn Tulkarm into a city like the Gaza Strip"; and on July 4, 2024, Smotrich again called for the destruction of Tulkarm, saying: "Tulkarm must become a city of ruins".
March 2023
==== March 10, 2023 operation ==== On March 10, 2023, Israel announced a military operation in the city of Tulkarm, which includes the headquarters of the Tulkarm Brigade. Violent armed clashes broke out in the city at dawn between members of the brigade and the invading Israeli army forces. The clashes included members of the Tulkarm Brigade targeting Israeli army forces with explosive devices. The Tulkarm Brigade said in a brief statement at dawn that its members "are fighting the battle of the martyrs on the land of the city of Tulkarm. The sons of the Rapid Response are still fighting the battle of dignity and have inflicted casualties and losses on the enemy".
May 2023
==== May 6, 2023 operation ==== On the morning of May 6, 2023, Israeli special forces carried out a military operation in Tulkarm camp in Tulkarm city and assassinated two Palestinians from the Qassam Brigades in Tulkarm Brigade after clashing with them. They were "Samir Salah al-Shafi'i" (22 years old) and "Hamza Jamil Khrioush" (22 years old). Israel accused them of carrying out several shooting operations against various checkpoints, settlements, and Israeli vehicles in the Tulkarm area.
==== May 11, 2023 incursion ==== At dawn on May 11, 2023, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the Nur Shams camp in the city of Tulkarm against the Tulkarm Brigade. The operation lasted for four hours with the participation of more than 200 Israeli soldiers. The operation left widespread destruction in the camp and resulted in the death of a 66-year-old Palestinian citizen.
==== May 30, 2023 incursion ==== At dawn on May 30, 2023, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the Nur Shams camp against the Tulkarm Brigade. At the time of the operation, this storming of the camp was the largest in years, and the military operation lasted for more than five hours while involving large Israeli military reinforcements and the assistance of bulldozers and reconnaissance aircraft. During the storming, an Israeli soldier from the Duvdevan Unit was moderately injured by an explosion caused by a homemade explosive device detonated by the Tulkarm Brigade.
July 2023
==== July 24, 2023 incursion ==== At dawn and during the morning of Monday, July 24, 2023, Israel invaded the Nur Shams camp in the city of Tulkarm against the Tulkarm Brigade with more than 60 military vehicles, representing the largest raid on the city at the time since the Second Intifada. The Israeli forces destroyed the streets of the camp by bulldozing them with military bulldozers, with the invasion resulted in thirteen injuries on the Palestinian side. The Tulkarm Brigade also detonated explosive devices on Israeli vehicles in the city, including a highly explosive device on an Israeli military bulldozer, which damaged it. Immediately after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces and the widespread destruction in its wake, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued instructions to undo the damage caused by the invasion. Crews from the Tulkarm Municipality, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Local Government, the Civil Defense, and the Energy Authority began working to repair the destroyed roads, water, electricity, and sewage lines. Following the Israeli withdrawal, the camp was inspected by the Minister of Local Government Majdi Al-Saleh, and the Director General of Civil Defense Major General Al-Abd Ibrahim Khalil, at the behest of the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, and under the directives of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas.
August 2023
==== August 4, 2023 incursion ==== At dawn on Friday, August 4, 2023, Israel invaded the city of Tulkarm and the Tulkarm camp in the city. During the invasion, a Palestinian was killed in the area surrounding the flagpole square in the city. During the invasion, violent clashes broke out between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Tulkarm Brigade, and the Israeli army deployed its snipers in several buildings in and around Tulkarm camp, while the Tulkarm Brigade detonated explosive devices in Tulkarm camp.
==== August 11, 2023 incursion ==== At dawn on Friday, August 11, 2023, the Israeli army invaded the city of Tulkarm and the Tulkarm camp in the city. During the invasion, a Palestinian was killed in the Al-Maslakh Street area of the city, and 8 other Palestinians were injured during the invasion, one of whom was described as critically injured. Violent clashes took place in the Tulkarm camp between the Israeli army and the Tulkarm Brigade. The Tulkarm Brigade stated: "Our heroic mujahideen continue to target the occupation forces and vehicles storming Tulkarm camp with heavy volleys of bullets and explosive devices on several fronts". The Tulkarm Brigade added: "Our mujahideen in the engineering unit were able to detonate a number of explosive devices in the occupation vehicles and hit them directly". The brigade also said: "With the determination of the true believers, our mujahideen were able to target an occupation army position inside Tulkarm camp with direct volleys of bullets, and our mujahideen were able to target the occupation snipers' positions inside the camp with heavy volleys of bullets". The head of the Palestinian National Council, Rawhi Fattouh, commented on what happened in Tulkarm, warning of an escalation of the situation by saying: "The continuation of this policy will lead to an escalation of the situation, and to more tension and instability that will affect everyone, and we will not suffer and pay the price alone."
==== August 20, 2023 incursion ==== Israel invaded the city of Tulkarm and the Tulkarm camp in the city at dawn on Sunday, August 20, 2023, which resulted in four Palestinians being injured with various injuries. The invasion lasted for more than two hours. The Israeli army deployed its snipers in various neighborhoods and areas of the city, and the wounded Palestinians were transferred to Martyr Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and Al-Israa Specialized Hospital in the city.
==== August 27, 2023 incursion ==== At dawn on Sunday, August 27, 2023, the Israeli army invaded the city of Tulkarm and the Tulkarm camp in the city. During the invasion, five Palestinians were injured, and the invasion continued for more than four continuous hours, with the participation of dozens of Israeli military vehicles. The Israeli army sent new military reinforcements to the city of Tulkarm and the Tulkarm camp in the city, while violent armed clashes took place around Thabet Thabet Hospital in the center of the city simultaneously with violent clashes in the Tulkarm camp. The Tulkarm Brigade reported that it had engaged in violent clashes with the Israeli army in Tulkarm camp. The Tulkarm Brigade said in a statement: "Our fighters were able to confront with all their might the occupation forces and vehicles that had penetrated the camp and targeted them with heavy and direct volleys of bullets. They carried out a number of ambushes and detonated a number of highly explosive (Saif 1) bombs on more than one axis. With God's help and empowerment, the engineering unit in the brigade detonated a number of (Saif 1) bombs in the occupation vehicles, causing direct damage to them and directly damaging a vehicle".
September 2023
==== September 5, 2023 incursion ==== Israel invaded the city of Tulkarm and the city's Nur Shams camp at dawn on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, using more than 80 Israeli military vehicles that included bulldozers. The invasion resulted in the killing of a Palestinian and the injury of two others, one of whom was in critical condition. Israeli bulldozers razed the streets and infrastructure in the camp. Palestinian Minister of Public Works and Housing Muhammad Ziyara said on September 5, 2023, that "under the directives of the Palestinian President and Prime Minister, the Ministry's crews began early hours to open the roads and assess the damage to the infrastructure and streets".
==== September 24, 2023 incursion ==== At dawn on Sunday, September 24, 2023, Israel returned and invaded the city of Tulkarm in addition to the city's Nour Shams camp. This invasion led to the killing of two Palestinians by Israeli forces, while an Israeli soldier was wounded during the invasion. Israeli bulldozers destroyed infrastructure and streets in Nour Shams camp, and Palestinian Minister of Public Works and Housing Muhammad Ziyara said: "Under the directives of President Mahmoud Abbas, crews began, since the morning hours, to open roads, secure buildings, and assess the damage to infrastructure and streets". On September 24, 2023, the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said in response to the Israeli invasion of Tulkarm that it "strongly condemns the escalation of crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Palestinian territory, which today led to the martyrdom of two Palestinian youths and the destruction of infrastructure in the Nour Shams refugee camp east of Tulkarm". The organization said that "these Israeli attacks constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity". The organization also called on "the international community to pressure Israel, the occupying power, to put an end to its repeated crimes and violations and to provide international protection for the Palestinian people". The Union of Radio and Television of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned this Israeli invasion of Tulkarm, according to a statement issued by the Union on September 24, 2023.
=== October 2023 === On Thursday, 19 October 2023, at 3 a.m., Israeli forces conducted a raid in Tulkarm, focusing on Nur Shams, various neighborhoods, and the Tulkarm camp. A 15-year-old boy and his father were killed by snipers. In the Nur Shams camp, a drone deployed by Israel resulted in casualties among a group of Palestinians. Four children and eight young men were killed in the airstrike. The Israeli army reported the death of one officer and injuries to nine soldiers due to the detonation of an explosive device in the Nour Shams camp, with the wounded soldiers transported to the Meir Hospital. On the second day of the raid, Friday, 20 October 2023, explosions occurred at dawn and in the morning hours. The Tulkarm Battalion reported that additional armed groups had reached Tulkarm to support their efforts. The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed 13 casualties, including 5 children, with the deceased and injured transported to Martyr Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital.
==== October 5, 2023 incursion ==== Two days before Hamas launched its incursion into Israel, Israeli forces invaded the Tulkarm refugee camp in Tulkarm on October 5, 2023. According to the Israeli military, this invasion resulted in five Israeli soldiers being injured by bomb explosions, three of whom were seriously injured and two of whom were moderately injured.
==== October 19–20, 2023 incursion ==== On the thirteenth day of the Hamas attack on Israel, Israel launched a large-scale military operation on Tulkarm and the city's two camps (Nour Shams Camp and Tulkarm Camp). During the operation, thirteen Palestinians were killed and a number of others were injured, while an Israeli officer was killed and nine other soldiers were injured.
=== November 2023 === On 2 November 2023, an Israeli reserve soldier in a civilian vehicle was ambushed by militants in Beit Lid and fatally shot.
==== November 1, 2023 storming operation ==== At dawn on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, Israel stormed the city of Tulkarm, which led to the outbreak of violent armed clashes. During the storming, a Palestinian citizen was killed by Israeli army bullets.
==== November 6, 2023 military operation ==== On November 6, 2023, the Israeli Yamam forces carried out a special operation in the city of Tulkarm, during which they assassinated Jihad Shehadeh, the commander of the Tulkarm Brigade Rapid Response Group, by firing about 100 bullets at the vehicle he was riding in. He was accompanied in the vehicle by Izz al-Din Raed Awad, the commander of the Tulkarm Brigade Al-Qassam Group, and the brigade members Moamen Saed Balawi and Qassem Muhammad Rajab. Their four bodies arrived at Thabet Thabet Hospital in the city of Tulkarm with several features missing and their limbs scattered due to the intensity of the bullets that were fired at them at point-blank range. Their deaths were announced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
==== November 13–14, 2023 incursion ==== On the evening of November 13, 2023, Israel launched a large-scale military operation to invade several neighborhoods of Tulkarm city, including Tulkarm camp in the center of the city. The invasion continued for two days, lasting sixteen continuous hours. During the invasion, seven Palestinians were killed and twelve others were injured, four of whom were seriously injured according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Dozens also suffered from asphyxia.
===== First day of the incursion (November 13, 2023) ===== Israel began its invasion of the city of Tulkarm at approximately 10:00 pm PSST on Monday, November 13, 2023, with Israeli special forces storming the city primarily in the vicinity of the Tulkarm camp. A clash broke out, killing two Palestinians. This was followed by the entry of Israeli army forces into the city from the Khadouri crossing with dozens of military vehicles and bulldozers.
