RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army on Friday stormed cities and towns in the occupied West Bank, arresting Palestinians and destroying properties.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army stormed the city of Ramallah on the northern West Bank and clashed with Palestinians.

They said the Israeli army used metal bullets and tear gas bombs, which led to a number of Palestinians suffering from suffocation.

Witnesses also pointed out that the army arrested two Palestinians from the city before its withdrawal.

​​​​​​The Israeli army also stormed the city of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank and arrested four brothers from the city before withdrawing.

Witnesses reported that clashes erupted between dozens of Palestinians and the Israeli army, which used live bullets.

The army also raided a number of towns in the governorates of Nablus, Bethlehem and Hebron on Friday morning, according to eyewitnesses.

There was no official statement about the number of detainees in the Israeli raids.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

At least 553 Palestinians, including 133 children, have since been killed and nearly 5,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which, in its latest ruling, has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi