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Israeli military initiated a large-scale operation Wednesday targeting Palestinian armed groups throughout the Tubas governorate in the northern occupied West Bank, marking the first time the entire region has been placed under simultaneous military action.
The operation began overnight with aerial bombardments designed to seal off the area before ground forces moved in to conduct searches, question suspects and seize funds, according to a joint statement from the Israeli military, police and internal security service. Israeli officials described the action as a response to intelligence indicating efforts to establish what they termed "terrorist strongholds" in the region.
The military confirmed to AFP that this represents a distinct operation separate from offensive actions launched in January 2025, which concentrated primarily on Palestinian refugee camps elsewhere in the northern West Bank. Israel has maintained military control over the West Bank since capturing the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War
Ahmed al-Asaad, governor of Tubas, said Israeli military conducted raids in the towns of Tammun and Tayasir as well as the Al-Faraa refugee camp. He characterized the scope as unprecedented for the agricultural region, which sits in the northeastern corner of the West Bank as the most remote of its 11 governorates.
"This is the first time that the entire governorate is included -- the whole governorate is now under Israeli army operations," Asaad told AFP. He added that Israeli soldiers deployed Apache helicopters that fired toward residential neighborhoods and blocked city entrances with earth barriers, effectively halting all movement.
The governor dismissed the military justification for the incursion, stating: "This is a political operation, not a security one."
Israeli military reported killing one individual they identified as a militant who threw an explosive device at troops operating near Qabatiya in the adjacent Jenin governorate. AFP journalists observed soldiers patrolling inside Tubas city alongside armored vehicles, with a surveillance drone circling overhead and most businesses shuttered.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medical teams treated 10 injured people in the governorate, with four requiring hospital transfer. The organization reported that emergency responders faced "obstruction in transporting patients in the city of Tubas and the town of Tammun since dawn" and continued receiving calls for assistance.
The United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA said Wednesday evening that authorities imposed a curfew in the affected area. At least two dozen families were forced from their homes after Israeli troops commandeered the residences for military use, according to the UN office.
At a military roadblock near Tammun, soldiers allowed an ambulance passage while turning back civilians. Most commercial establishments remained closed as armored vehicles patrolled the streets.
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Hamas issued statements condemning the operation. They characterized the action as part of a broader strategy "aimed at crushing any Palestinian presence in order to achieve complete control over the West Bank."
Violent incidents across the West Bank have escalated sharply since Hamas conducted an attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the Gaza war. The upward trajectory has persisted despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas taking effect last month.
Israeli military or settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict began, according to an AFP tally compiled from Palestinian health ministry data. Palestinian officials say the dead include numerous Hamas members as well as scores of civilians.
Israeli authorities report that at least 44 Israelis, encompassing both military personnel and civilians, have died in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period.
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