Widespread Military Escalation: From Aida Camp to Attacks Across the West Bank
The Israeli occupation forces continue their wide-scale military escalation across the occupied West Bank, amid a complete closure of most city and town entrances, in parallel with the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
At dawn on Tuesday, June 18, a large Israeli force — estimated at more than 120 soldiers — stormed Aida Camp north of Bethlehem, spreading through its alleys, raiding several homes, and vandalizing their contents. Soldiers reportedly threatened residents not to express joy following Iran’s missile launches toward Israel. The raid was marked by aggressive searches and deliberate destruction, spreading fear among women and children. A similar operation took place in the nearby Azza Camp.
This attack comes within the context of an unprecedented Israeli military campaign that began in January 2025, primarily targeting three refugee camps: Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarem. Human rights and official sources have documented the demolition of hundreds of homes in these camps and the conversion of dozens more into military outposts, while thousands of families endure dire humanitarian conditions.
The campaign has also extended to dozens of towns and villages, including Attil, Deir al-Ghusun, and Bal’a (Tulkarem); Arraba, Qabatiya, and Jaba’ (Jenin); Talouza and Asira (Nablus); and areas in Tubas. These regions have witnessed a heavy military presence involving thousands of soldiers and hundreds of military vehicles, accompanied by curfews, field arrests, mass interrogations, and the conversion of homes into military bases.
Simultaneously, settler violence has escalated. Armed settlers launched brutal attacks on residents of towns such as Beita (south of Nablus) and Yatta (south of Hebron), resulting in injuries from live fire and beatings. Several wounded Palestinians were transported to hospitals for treatment.
Amid escalating Israeli attacks and the onset of the war between Iran and Israel, Israeli forces imposed a total lockdown on the West Bank, closing the entrances to cities and towns with iron gates and concrete roadblocks. The number of military checkpoints has risen from 600 to more than 900 since October 7. Palestinians consider these measures part of a gradual annexation policy and the expansion of illegal settlements, justified under the pretext of regional security concerns.
According to human rights data, at least 978 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, 2023 — including dozens of children — and more than 40,000 people have been forcibly displaced, in what is considered the largest wave of displacement in the West Bank since 1967.
This escalation coincides with the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, which has so far resulted in more than 184,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, the majority of them women and children. The war has caused massive destruction and the displacement of over a million people, amid a complete collapse of the health system and reports by the United Nations confirming famine in parts of the Strip.