JERUSALEM: The Israeli military on Wednesday announced a new &quot;counterterrorism&quot; operation in the north of the occupied West Bank. The military and internal security service said in a joint statement that they &quot;began operating as part of a broad counterterrorism operation in the area of northern Samaria&quot;, using the Israeli biblical term for part of the West Bank. The operation was new and not part of its counterterrorism operation launched in January 2024, which primarily targets Palestinian refugee camps, the Israeli army told AFP.

Middle East

Israel’s military launched a new counterterrorism operation in the northern occupied West Bank, separate from its 2024 campaign. A joint statement with internal security services said the broadened operation targets “northern Samaria,” using Israel’s biblical term for the area.

Israeli army announces new operation in northern West Bank

JERUSALEM: An organization representing international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday condemned attacks by Israeli settlers on journalists in the occupied West Bank, urging Israeli authorities to halt the &quot;violence immediately&quot;.&nbsp;The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists, said it was &quot;appalled&quot; by the recent attacks, especially during this year&#39;s olive harvest.&nbsp;&quot;Journalists, both local and foreign, have proven to be a clear target as they document an unprecedented level of unchecked violence against Palestinians during this year&#39;s olive harvest,&quot; the association said, citing two incidents involving journalists from international media outlets.&nbsp;The FPA said that on Saturday two employees of Reuters wearing clearly marked press vests and helmets were assaulted by masked Israeli civilians armed with clubs and rocks near the Palestinian village of Beita.&nbsp;&quot;A mob of dozens of settlers beat one of the employees, a female reporter, while she was already on the ground, resulting in severe injuries,&quot; the FPA said.&nbsp;&quot;They also attacked those who tried to help her. A Reuters security person was hit, and two Palestinian freelance journalists were injured while being chased.&quot;&nbsp;On October 10, settlers beat a veteran AFP photographer with sticks when filming the olive harvest in the same area.&nbsp;His car, along with a handful of others parked at a safe distance from the field, was stoned and then set on fire by the assailants.&nbsp;&quot;The photographer, who testified it was one of the worst attacks in his 30-year career, reported that Israeli forces at the scene refused to intervene, instead firing rubber bullets and tear gas at olive pickers and activists accompanying them,&quot; the FPA said.&nbsp;Several such incidents have occurred in the last few weeks, the FPA added.&nbsp;&quot;Israeli forces routinely harass and intimidate journalists, in some cases detaining them and threatening them with deportation,&quot; the FPA said.&nbsp;&quot;This is all part of a deepening climate of hostility toward the media by Israeli authorities,&quot; it added, urging the authorities to investigate the incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable.&nbsp;&quot;In particular, we urge central command head Major General Avi Bluth and police commander Moshe Pinchi to uphold their duties to ensure that journalists can work freely and safely,&quot; the association said.&nbsp;&quot;There cannot be press freedom in an environment in which journalists are threatened and harmed with complete impunity.&quot;&nbsp;Some 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the Palestinian territory and some of them have also attacked farmers trying to access their olive trees almost every day this year since the season began in mid-October, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.&nbsp;Almost none of the perpetrators have been held to account by the Israeli authorities.&nbsp;Violence in the West Bank has soared since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.

The Foreign Press Association condemned Israeli settler attacks on journalists in the occupied West Bank, urging authorities to stop the violence, investigate assaults on reporters, and ensure press freedom amid rising unrest since the Gaza war.

International media association denounces Israeli settler attacks on journalists

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: United States&nbsp;President Donald Trump says that Israel is &quot;not going to do anything&quot; in the West Bank, after Israeli lawmakers advanced bills paving the way for annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.&nbsp; &quot;Don&#39;t worry about the West Bank, Israel&#39;s not going to do anything with the West Bank,&quot; Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday when asked if he is concerned by the votes in the Israeli parliament. &ldquo;Is that your question? They are not gonna do anything with the West Bank. Israel is doing very well. They are not gonna do anything with it,&rdquo; he added. &nbsp;&nbsp; Muslim nations condemn Israel&rsquo;s plans for West BankMeanwhile, Pakistan and several Muslim-majority nations have strongly condemned Israel&rsquo;s move to impose &ldquo;so-called sovereignty&rdquo; over the occupied West Bank, calling it a clear violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.&nbsp;In a joint statement released by Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office late Thursday, the countries, including Jordan, Indonesia, T&uuml;rkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Malaysia, Qatar, and the State of Palestine, denounced Israel&rsquo;s Knesset for approving two draft laws aimed at annexing parts of the occupied Palestinian territory.&nbsp;&ldquo;We condemn in the strongest terms the approval of Israeli Knesset draft laws aiming to impose a so-called &lsquo;Israeli sovereignty&rsquo; over the occupied West Bank and illegal colonial settlements,&rdquo; the statement read.&nbsp;The joint communiqu&eacute; described the measures as a &ldquo;blatant violation of international law&rdquo; and of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemns Israeli attempts to alter &ldquo;the demographic composition, character, and status&rdquo; of the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.&nbsp;The statement also reaffirmed that &ldquo;Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory,&rdquo; referencing the International Court of Justice&rsquo;s (ICJ) advisory opinion that declared settlement construction and annexation measures in the West Bank illegal.&nbsp;The countries welcomed the ICJ&rsquo;s Advisory Opinion of October 22, 2025, which reaffirmed Israel&rsquo;s obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the supply of essential goods to Palestinians, including through UNRWA and other UN agencies.&nbsp;&ldquo;The Court confirmed Israel&rsquo;s obligation to respect the prohibition on the use of starvation,&rdquo; the statement noted, adding that the ICJ had recalled Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;blocking of aid into the Gaza Strip&rdquo; and reaffirmed the ban on mass forcible transfer or deportation of civilians.&nbsp;The signatories further emphasized the Palestinian people&rsquo;s right to self-determination and independent statehood, stressing that Israel&rsquo;s territorial claim over East Jerusalem had been declared &ldquo;null and void&rdquo; by the Security Council.&nbsp;&ldquo;We call on the international community to shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities and compel Israel to cease its dangerous escalation and unlawful measures,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;Reaffirming support for a two-state solution, the countries reiterated that the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, remains &ldquo;the only path toward achieving a just and comprehensive peace.&rdquo;

'Don't worry about the West Bank, Israel's not going to do anything with the West Bank,' Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he is concerned by the votes in the Israeli parliament.

Israel 'not going to do anything' with West Bank: Trump 

RAMALLAH: Israeli forces shot dead an 11-year-old boy in the occupied West Bank, his family and health officials said Friday, while the army said its troops opened fire at rock throwers.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The Palestinian health ministry said that Mohammad Hallaq was shot dead on Thursday by Israeli soldiers &quot;in the town of Al-Rihiya, south of Hebron. The bullet penetrated his pelvis.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Hallaq&#39;s uncle, also named Mohammad Hallaq, told AFP the child was sitting in front of his house when an army patrol passed by during a confrontation with a group of older youths.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;(The soldiers) fired directly at (the older boys), and he was killed,&quot; the uncle told AFP, adding the child was sitting away from the youths.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The Israeli military told AFP that soldiers had shot and struck people during an altercation while deployed in Al-Rihiya.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;Soldiers responded with fire toward the suspects in the rock-hurling. Hits were identified,&quot; it said, using the language it generally uses to say troops shot and hit someone.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Ayed Abu Eqtaish, an official for Defence for Children International Palestine, a rights organisation, said the incident took place around 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), after which Hallaq was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The number of children and teenagers shot dead by Israeli forces in the West Bank after being suspected of throwing rocks dramatically increased in 2025.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;A Palestinian teenager who held US citizenship was shot dead by the army in April, followed by a 14-year-old in June in the town of Sinjil in June, and a 15-year-old in July.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;On each occasion, the military said the youths had thrown rocks at its troops.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The Palestinian health ministry also reported on Thursday evening that an adult, 20-year-old Mahdi Kamil, was killed by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The Israeli military told AFP that its troops killed a Palestinian militant in Qabatiya on Thursday after he threw &quot;an explosive device&quot; towards soldiers deployed in the area.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;The soldiers responded with fire and eliminated the terrorist,&quot; it said.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 where violence has surged since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Since then, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 986 Palestinians in the West Bank,&nbsp;including many militants, according to health ministry figures.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Over the same period, at least 43 Israelis, including members of security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official figures.

 Palestinians gather for Friday prayers amid the rubble of a destroyed building in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Friday, October 17, 2025. (AP)

The Palestinian health ministry said that Mohammad Hallaq was shot dead on Thursday by Israeli soldiers "in the town of Al-Rihiya, south of Hebron. The bullet penetrated his pelvis."

Family says Israeli forces kill 11-year-old Palestinian in West Bank

Reuters

RAMALLAH: US President Donald Trump&#39;s Gaza peace plan outlines a blueprint for Palestinian statehood, but in the West Bank - where this vision would be realised - the economic prospects for a viable state are being strangled. Transport corridors used by business have been fragmented by a network of Israeli settlements, employees of Palestinian institutions have not been paid as Israel blocks transfers of tax revenues, and the vital pillar of remittances from workers heading to Israel has all but dried up since the Gaza war began. &quot;We think twice before spending one shekel,&quot; Rami Harfoosh said as his 13-year-old son, who wonders if he will ever attend university, looked on. He has not been able to afford to buy a replacement for his son&#39;s hearing aid since losing the $1,700 monthly paycheck he used to receive working in Israel. Questions over viability of a Palestinian state Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s backing on Monday for a U.S.-sponsored peace proposal to end nearly two years of war in Gaza, and there is growing international support for Palestinian statehood. But peace in Gaza is not guaranteed - there are questions over whether Hamas will accept the plan and Trump said Israel can &quot;do what you would have to do&quot; if the Palestinian militant group rejects it. A viable Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, a separate territory that is currently occupied by Israel and lies between Israel and the western bank of the River Jordan, may also not be imminent. The Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises limited governance of areas where most of the Palestinian population lives, considers itself the sole representative of the Palestinian people. But its credibility has been undermined by the impact of the Israeli fiscal squeeze, its own poor management of the economy, rapid Israeli settlement building on land Palestinians want for a state and a lack of political reforms. &quot;Persistent fiscal strains have drastically eroded the Palestinian Authority&rsquo;s (PA) revenue base, placing extreme constraints on the financing of basic services,&quot; said a World Bank report. &quot;If sustained, these dynamics have the potential to precipitate fiscal collapse.&quot; The PA has denied allegations of corruption and says Israel wages financial warfare to prevent the possibility of a viable Palestinian state. Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Loss of confidence in Palestinian Authority Like many Palestinians, Rami Thawlatin thinks little about the notion of a Palestinian state. He made a decent living on a construction site in Israel for years but has struggled to support his family since work permits were halted after the Hamas-led attack on Israel October 7, 2023 that began the Gaza war. These days he rarely finds enough work to support his family in the West Bank, borrowing money from his father and brothers. Thawlatin says he cannot rely on the PA to fix the economy, create jobs or provide adequate health services. &quot;No one is familiar with us or assists us, not the Authority, not the labour union, and no one who is our leader,&quot; he said. The PA, which is led by President Mahmoud Abbas, has not held a parliamentary election in the West Bank since 2006 and some Palestinian officials say it is facing one of its gravest crises since it was created under interim peace deals with Israel 30 years ago. Israel withholds funds&nbsp; Under a longstanding arrangement, Israel collects taxes on goods that pass through Israel into the West Bank and makes monthly transfers to authorities in the main city of Ramallah. Since May, Israel&#39;s finance ministry has withheld around 10 billion Shekels ($2.96 billion) in the funds it collects in taxes and duties on behalf of the PA, which is now cutting salaries and is unable to pay contractors. After the Gaza war started, Israel&#39;s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, began withholding a portion of those revenues equal to the amount transferred by the PA to Gaza, where the Abbas-led administration has continued financing services, salaries and pensions despite Hamas&#39;s takeover there. Smotrich says the funds would end up in Hamas&#39; hands. Wael al-Sheikh, undersecretary of the Palestinian health ministry, said there were severe shortages of medicine, including oncology drugs and general surgery items. &quot;The situation is very critical,&quot; he said. Since October 2023, PA salary payments have been cut to about 70% of full wages, and further declined in mid-2025 following the suspension of clearance revenue transfers from Israel. In May 2025, salaries were paid at 60%. In June, payments dropped to 50%. &quot;We no longer have the ability to borrow from banks, all the internal technical solutions we have done, we have done everything in the matter of reducing expenses,&quot; said Planning and International Cooperation Minister Estephan Salameh. Young people uncertain about the future&nbsp; Israeli telecommunications companies have been moving into the territory, said Laith Daraghmeh, CEO of the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). In 2025, 22 communication towers will be built with Israeli government financing near Jewish settlements, Daraghmeh said. &quot;But it is a direct directive to impact the Palestinian economy by reducing the number of users of (Palestinian) networks and creating the &#39;digital divide&#39; that they are always seeking,&quot; he said. Some Palestinian areas have no telecommunications services at all, he said. Younger generations worry about their prospects in the West Bank. Lina, 22, graduated with honours in English literature and business administration from the West Bank&#39;s Birzeit University this year but could not find a paid job in Ramallah. Last year she spent five months on an education trip in Germany. &quot;There I realised they can see a future, had plans. Here it is different. I don&#39;t have a single friend who is not thinking of leaving,&quot; she said.

Workers eat during a break from expanding an Israeli bypass road connecting Israeli settlers in the West Bank with Jerusalem, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Asia

Trump’s Gaza peace plan proposes Palestinian statehood, but the West Bank’s economy is collapsing under Israeli restrictions and internal challenges, deepening uncertainty for Palestinians, especially youth.

Articles tagged with "occupied West Bank"

Israeli army announces new operation in northern West Bank

International media association denounces Israeli settler attacks on journalists

Israel 'not going to do anything' with West Bank: Trump

Family says Israeli forces kill 11-year-old Palestinian in West Bank

As Trump's plan talks of building a Palestinian state, West Bank's economy is collapsing

Israeli army announces new operation in northern West Bank