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Israel has raised the alert level in the occupied West Bank and is preparing additional forces amid concerns about a possible escalation ahead of upcoming Jewish holidays, Israeli media reported Wednesday.
The Walla news website said Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir ordered heightened readiness and instructed an additional military division to remain on standby for possible deployment.
An unnamed senior security official said troop strength in the military’s West Bank division is expected to rise to 16 battalions within about two weeks.
The official claimed security agencies were concerned about possible attacks against Israelis during the holiday period, while also warning that escalating violence by Israeli settlers could further inflame tensions.
Walla said larger numbers of Israelis are expected to travel to areas in the West Bank during the holidays.
An Israeli military source also warned of possible provocations and extremist activity around illegal settlement outposts ahead of elections scheduled for late October.
The source said many young Israeli settlers involved in attacks travel to the West Bank from elsewhere and acknowledged that some illegal outposts have been evacuated repeatedly only to be reestablished.
Earlier Wednesday, a 19-year-old Palestinian and a 16-year-old boy were killed during an attack by Israeli forces and settlers in Al-Mughayyir village, north of Ramallah.
The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said the deaths brought the number of Palestinians killed in incidents linked to settler attacks since the beginning of 2026 to 27.
Israeli forces also carried out multiple raids in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, while settlers targeted vital civilian infrastructure by sabotaging water systems.
The Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli soldiers raided Al-Ram in northern Jerusalem and Anata, northeast of the city.
Officials said the operations resulted in no reported injuries or detentions.
Sources said the Israeli military also raided the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus, with troops patrolling streets and residential neighborhoods during the incursion.
East of Tubas, Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian community of Khirbet Yirza, destroying pipelines that supply water to residents and completely cutting off the community’s water supply.
Sources said settlers have repeatedly sabotaged the water lines in recent weeks.
The occupied West Bank continues to face daily military raids, home searches and detentions, alongside rising settler violence.
Since Israel began its genocide in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have intensified attacks in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The attacks have included killings, arrests, forced displacement, home demolitions and illegal settlement expansion.
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