Hosni Nadim
07 May 2026•Update: 08 May 2026
- Israeli army demolishes agricultural facilities, sets up checkpoint east of Bethlehem
Several Palestinian students suffered temporary asphyxiation from tear gas fired by Israeli forces during a raid Thursday in the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah in the central West Bank, local sources said.
The sources said Israeli forces, accompanied by military vehicles and bulldozers, raided the village, firing stun grenades and tear gas at the Al-Mughayyir Boys' School while students were inside, causing several to suffocate.
The Israeli army set up a military checkpoint at the village entrance, preventing entry and exit, and simultaneously fired tear gas canisters at residents, the sources added.
In the southern West Bank, Israeli occupiers damaged trees and crops and chased away shepherds and farmers in various areas of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, the official news agency Wafa reported.
Osama Makhameh, a local activist, said a group of armed occupiers released their livestock in the Wadi al-Rakhim area, south of Masafer Yatta, damaging and uprooting a number of olive saplings.
In another attack, the Palestinian Red Crescent said three people were injured by Israeli occupier while they were traveling in Masafer Yatta.
Makhameh said Israeli occupiers attacked a Palestinian vehicle, and assaulted its occupants near the village of Al-Fakhit.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolished agricultural structures in Za'tara town, east of Bethlehem, and the northern Jordan Valley on Thursday, coinciding with the setting up of a military checkpoint east of Bethlehem in the southern West Bank.
"Israeli forces stormed Wadi al-Ta'amra area, east of the town and closed it off, before demolishing an agricultural greenhouse belonging to Palestinian resident Adel Ayed al-Bajali,” Za'tara Mayor Muhammad Dhuwaib said.
Wafa said Israeli forces also demolished a concrete water tank in al-Mashamis area, east of Za'tara.
Meanwhile, Israeli bulldozers demolished greenhouses and water networks near the village of Bardala in the northern Jordan Valley, according to local sources speaking to Wafa.
Israeli forces had issued notices approximately three months ago to demolish and remove about 50 dunams (50,000 square meters) of agricultural greenhouses in the area.
In Bethlehem, Israeli forces set up a military checkpoint in the Ash Ghrab area, east of Beit Sahour, according to the same agency.
Wafa, citing security sources, said Israeli forces stopped and searched vehicles and checked citizens' IDs, causing a traffic jam in the area.
About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 141 illegal settlements and 224 settlement outposts in the West Bank, including about 250,000 in East Jerusalem, which the United Nations considers part of the occupied Palestinian territory.
The occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have seen a surge in Israeli attacks, including raids, arrests, shootings and the excessive use of force, alongside rising occupier assaults against Palestinians and their property.
According to the Palestinian Commission Against the Wall and Settlements, Israeli forces and occupiers carried out 1,637 attacks in April alone.
Attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians, wounded about 11,750 and led to the arrest of nearly 22,000 since October 2023, according to official Palestinian figures.
*Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul
