Israel Raids Qalandiya Camp: 51 Palestinians Injured, Shops Destroyed

Israeli troops carried out a massive raid inside the Qalandiya refugee camp on Thursday, an operation that left at least 51 Palestinians injured. The Jerusalem Governorate shared these details with Al Jazeera while describing the scale of the incursion. Soldiers tore down commercial shops located right near the checkpoint before locking down the nearby town of Kafr Aqab under a strict curfew. They also sealed off all roads connecting this area to Jerusalem, effectively cutting it off from the rest of the city.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that 35 victims required hospitalization after suffering severe beatings during the assault. Six additional people needed treatment at the scene immediately following the violence. One unfortunate individual was struck by a rubber-coated steel bullet fired into the crowd. Another six suffered from tear gas inhalation as soldiers deployed canisters to disperse civilians. Ambulance crews faced significant obstacles, with access blocked since late Wednesday night despite their urgent need to reach the wounded. They managed to evacuate several patients, including those desperately needing kidney dialysis, though many remained behind in dire condition.

Soldiers stationed at the entrance hurled stun grenades directly at journalists covering the event and ordered them to leave the perimeter immediately. Inside homes that had been converted into makeshift holding sites, dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were detained for field interrogations by local media accounts. In a separate incident in the city of Jenin on Thursday, Israeli forces shot one Palestinian and assaulted another according to reports from the Red Crescent Society.

Violence against Palestinian communities has surged over recent months as army attacks and settler aggression move hand in hand with demolitions of property. Illegal seizures of land have accelerated alongside these assaults. Rights groups documented more than 11,000 military and settler attacks across the West Bank during just the first half of this year alone. Over 2,300 Palestinians were forced from their homes due to settler violence and related restrictions imposed by authorities. A United Nations-appointed commission of inquiry concluded in June that Israeli officials repeatedly failed to stop foreseeable settler attacks or investigate those responsible. Investigators noted cases where state forces directly enabled the violence through army protection and by providing weapons and funding to settlers.

Israel has banned UNRWA from operating in occupied East Jerusalem and demolished several facilities there, including structures near Qalandiya. Since taking charge of civilian affairs in the West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has approved or legalized more than 104 illegal settlements and 160 agricultural outposts. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir distributed thousands of firearms to settlers through state-backed civil defense programs designed to arm these groups. Several Western governments including the United Kingdom, Canada, and France have sanctioned individual settlers as well as sitting ministers like Smotrich over their roles in escalating violence. President Donald Trump revoked limited US sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in one of his first decrees after returning to the White House last year. The situation remains precarious for civilians caught between military force and unchecked settler aggression.