Israel Escalates Military Strikes in Northern West Bank Amid Tensions

Israel has escalated military operations across the occupied West Bank for three straight days, sending reinforcements to Tubas province under siege while continuing to demolish homes in Jenin refugee camp. Palestinian authorities are calling these actions war crimes, and UN human rights officials say Israeli forces executed two Palestinians who had surrendered.

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians after they surrendered in what's being described as a "field execution." Video footage broadcast by Palestine TV showed both men appeared unarmed and surrendering during a West Bank raid.

The UN Human Rights Office expressed shock at the killings. "We are appalled by the brazen killing by Israeli police of two Palestinian men in Jenin, in what appears to be another extrajudicial execution," spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said at a Geneva briefing.

Israeli forces continued their assault on Tubas yesterday, imposing curfews and raiding Palestinian homes, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. They also stormed Al-Farea refugee camp at dawn, conducting house-to-house searches with heavy infantry deployment throughout the area.

The detention numbers are staggering. Kamal Bani Odeh, director of the Prisoner's Club in Tubas, told WAFA that Israeli forces detained 162 Palestinians over two days, taking them to field interrogation centers - Palestinian homes converted into military barracks.

This military operation comes as settler violence escalates. Settlers are attacking and burning Palestinian homes while carrying out killings and looting with apparent impunity.

Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the ongoing Israeli aggression won't bring security or stability to anyone. "The continued Israeli assault on Tubas for the third consecutive day, alongside what's happening in Jenin and its camp, and Tulkarm and its camps, keeps the region in a cycle of violence and escalation," he said.

Four European countries - Germany, Italy, France, and Britain - issued a joint statement calling on Israel to comply with international law and protect Palestinians in territories occupied since 1967. They strongly condemned what they called the "dramatic escalation" of settler violence against Palestinian civilians.

The timing matters. This West Bank escalation happens while Gaza remains under bombardment, creating a two-front crisis that Palestinian officials say demonstrates Israel's broader strategy of territorial control through force.

For international observers, these events test whether global diplomatic pressure can influence Israeli military tactics. The European statement signals growing concern among key allies, but it remains unclear if diplomatic criticism will translate into concrete consequences or policy changes.