Israel's Raids in the West Bank: What Happened, and Why It Matters

Israeli forces launched major raids across West Bank cities in late August 2024, targeting militant groups. Details on the operation, casualties, and compe

Simon Whistler February 17, 2026

Over the past several days, an occupied Palestinian territory under Israeli authority has been rocked with violence. But this time, the battle and bloodshed comes not in the war-torn Gaza Strip, once encircled by Israel and now ravaged by the Israel-Hamas War. Instead, the violence takes place in the West Bank, a large stretch of territory between Israel and Jordan where Israel has maintained an occupation for many decades, and where some half-a-million predominantly Jewish religious settlers live in a tenuous balance with roughly three million Palestinians. Overnight on Wednesday, August the twenty-eighth, Israeli forces streamed into the territory in a major operation, split between several West Bank cities. On Thursday the twenty-ninth, the operation continued, backed up by helicopters, armored vehicles, and more. Israel’s targets are several armed insurgent and terror organizations in the West Bank, all of whom report that they are now fighting back. It’s the biggest Israeli military operation in the West Bank in decades, and the territory’s first explosion of violence on this scale since the start of the Israel-Hamas War.

Key Takeaways

Israeli forces launched the largest military operation in the West Bank in decades on August 28-29, 2024, targeting several cities including Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas, and Nablus with a combined population of about 310,000 people.

The raids involved several hundred IDF soldiers backed by armored vehicles, helicopters, drones, and air support, resulting in at least sixteen Palestinian deaths by the end of August 29, making it Israel’s deadliest single West Bank operation since before October 7, 2023.

Israel states the operation aims to dismantle terror threats from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other militant groups, claiming Iran is attempting to establish an ‘eastern terrorist front’ in the West Bank similar to Gaza and Lebanon.

Palestinian militant groups including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Fatah responded by detonating bombs against Israeli military vehicles, though no Israeli fatalities were reported during the initial operations.

Palestinians and Hamas claim the real objective is for Israel to broaden its control and advance its occupation of the West Bank, citing discriminatory law enforcement where settler attacks (nearly 1,300 since October 7, 2023) often go unpunished while Palestinian attacks are swiftly and fatally addressed.

The West Bank houses approximately half-a-million predominantly Jewish religious settlers living alongside roughly three million Palestinians under Israeli occupation that has lasted for many decades.

The Initial Wave of Raids

The West Bank raids carried out by the Israel Defense Forces began in the pre-dawn hours of the morning on August the twenty-eighth, 2024. At that time, a force of several hundred IDF infantry and other foot soldiers—a precise number is not yet clear—advanced into several key West Bank cities, accompanied by air support. The operations covered the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas, and Nablus, with a combined population of about 310,000 people, and struck both built-up areas of some of the cities, and refugee camps near others.

The initial wave of raids saw IDF soldiers, backed up by armored vehicles, close air support, and intelligence-collecting and overwatch drones, target suspected or alleged militants in the cities, with at least ten Palestinians believed to have been killed over the course of the day. Drones are known to have launched strikes from the air, including one in the refugee camp of Far’a, where at least four people were killed. At around the same time, Israeli troops surrounded the main hospital in the city of Jenin, building earthworks barriers with the stated intent of preventing militant fighters from retreating there. IDF troops did not enter the hospital.

Palestinian sources have claimed that Israeli bulldozers also leveled city infrastructure, in both Jenin and Tulkarem. Over the course of the day, an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that there was an “immediate threat” to civilians, but that “the terror threat in this area is not new, it hasn’t started yesterday and it’s not going to end tomorrow.” Curfews were announced in parts of the West Bank by that evening.

Militant Response and Retaliation

The retaliation by local militant terror groups was violent in kind. Within hours, three such groups announced that their fighters were detonating bombs against Israeli military vehicles in several locations. Those groups included Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both of which maintain an armed presence in the West Bank that’s separate from their forces fighting in Gaza, as well as Fatah, the group that controls the Palestinian Authority and thus exercises limited civil control over the West Bank.

At the time of writing, no fatalities have been reported on the Israeli side of the raids, and it’s unclear just how effective these bomb attacks were, or were not. But with militants acting in and around cities like Jenin that have been militant hubs for many years, there is likely a good deal of ordnance, as well as fighters, who may have waited out the early days of the incursion to see whether the situation would return to an equilibrium.

Operations Continue on August 29

Early on Thursday the twenty-ninth, the IDF raids continued, with the most notable of the raids coming in the city of Tulkarem. There, five militants swearing allegiance to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were cornered after hiding in a mosque, and killed in a shootout with the IDF. Among the fighters killed was one Mohammed Jaber, known best by the alias Abu Shujaa, who had gained fame in the West Bank earlier this year after showing up alive to funerals of other militants, who had been killed in an operation where he, too, had been reported dead. Abu Shujaa was, according to the IDF, responsible for the killing of at least one Israeli and carrying out many attacks, and he had allegedly been planning to commit more.

Those five militants were the only ones reported killed on the twenty-ninth, in a day that saw fewer raids, but a sustained Israeli presence. That presence included the maintenance of the IDF’s blockade around Jenin’s central hospital, as Israeli troops set up checkpoints for ambulances coming in, along with Internet and cellular services shut down, and some areas without water or sewage services. With sixteen people reported dead by the end of the day on Thursday, this is now Israel’s deadliest single operation in the West Bank since before October the seventh, 2023.

Israel’s Stated Objectives

When it comes to the reasons why these West Bank raids have taken place, the obvious place to start is Israel; after all, it’s the Israeli government and the IDF that have chosen to launch these operations at all. According to Israel, the intent is to conduct counterterrorism operations, in what the IDF states will be a multi-step process. Per Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz, posting online in the early hours of the incursion, the IDF is working to dismantle a terror threat in the West Bank in the same way it’s been dismantling terror threats in Gaza. Katz also stated that temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents is apparently on the table. Shortly after Katz’s statement, IDF spokesman and lieutenant colonel Nadav Shoshani indicated that there is not a soon-to-be-instituted plan for evacuations, but that local residents can leave if they like.

Early on, international news outlets indicated that the operation was likely tied to a prior airstrike on Monday the twenty-sixth in the West Bank, when five people, described by the IDF as terrorists, were killed in an area called Nur Shams.

The Iranian Connection and Terror Threat Assessment

As operations continued, Israel clarified the terror threat it claimed to be observing in the West Bank. Foreign Minister Katz offered that “Iran is working to establish an eastern terrorist front against Israel in the West Bank, according to the Gaza and Lebanon model”—with those models Katz referenced being the Hamas and Hezbollah organizations. IDF sources have claimed for several months that Iran is working through smuggling routes across the Middle East, to flood the West Bank with as many weapons as possible and create a potential new front in Israel’s war against its Palestinian population.

Over the last year, roughly 150 attacks have been launched against Israelis from the northern West Bank, according to IDF figures. Per the aforementioned IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani, current operations are targeting “a mixture of terror groups and terror cells”, and IDF statements have indicated that in addition to the “armed terrorists” that its forces have killed, other wanted suspects have been taken into custody as weapons and military supplies have been seized. IDF troops have been able to dig up and dismantle improvised explosive devices, including dangerous roadside bombs.

Palestinian Perspective and Competing Narratives

Palestinians in the West Bank, however, have offered a competing explanation on why Israel has chosen to launch such an incursion. The real objective, many people there suspect and the Hamas organization claims, is for Israel to broaden its control over the West Bank and advance its occupation. Those suspicions are helped along by a situation widely regarded as discriminatory law enforcement in Palestine, where Palestinians who attack Israelis in the West Bank are swiftly, and sometimes fatally punished, but Jewish settlers who carry out attacks against Palestinians, often with just as lethal consequences, go without any serious rebuke.

Settler attacks aren’t an isolated phenomenon, either; the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has counted nearly 1,300 attacks since October the seventh of last year. Per the AFP, a total of over 650 Palestinians, including many militants, have been killed in the West Bank in that same time-frame, by a combination of IDF soldiers and settlers. Of course, it’s important to be clear that according to both the IDF and the West Bank’s major militant organizations, the current fighting is largely or fully between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters. But it’s just as important to understand the public perception of the incident, as it is to understand the reality, because both, not just one or the other, will guide future action on both sides.

The Broader Context of the West Bank

The West Bank is a large stretch of territory between Israel and Jordan where Israel has maintained an occupation for many decades. Some half-a-million predominantly Jewish religious settlers live there in a tenuous balance with roughly three million Palestinians. The territory has been under Israeli authority for decades, creating a complex political and security situation that differs significantly from the Gaza Strip, despite both being occupied Palestinian territories.

The current raids represent the territory’s first explosion of violence on this scale since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, marking a significant escalation in a region that has experienced ongoing tensions but had not seen military operations of this magnitude in decades. Understanding the full history of the West Bank requires far more extensive examination, but this context is essential for grasping why these operations carry such significant weight for both Israelis and Palestinians, and why the competing narratives about their purpose reflect deeper, long-standing disputes about control, security, and the future of the territory.

FAQ

When did the Israeli raids in the West Bank begin?

The raids began in the pre-dawn hours of August 28, 2024, and continued through at least August 29, 2024.

Which West Bank cities were targeted in the Israeli operation?

The operations covered the cities of Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas, and Nablus, with a combined population of about 310,000 people, striking both built-up areas and nearby refugee camps.

How many casualties resulted from the initial raids?

At least sixteen Palestinians were reported dead by the end of August 29, with at least ten killed on the first day. No Israeli fatalities were reported during the initial operations.

What military assets did Israel deploy in the operation?

Israel deployed several hundred IDF infantry soldiers, armored vehicles, helicopters, close air support, intelligence-collecting drones, and overwatch drones that launched strikes from the air.

Which Palestinian militant groups responded to the raids?

Three groups responded: Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (both maintaining armed presence in the West Bank separate from their Gaza forces), and Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority.

What is Israel’s stated objective for these operations?

Israel states the intent is to conduct counterterrorism operations to dismantle terror threats in the West Bank, claiming Iran is working to establish an eastern terrorist front similar to the Gaza and Lebanon models with Hamas and Hezbollah.

Who was Abu Shujaa and why was he significant?

Abu Shujaa (Mohammed Jaber) was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant killed on August 29 in Tulkarem. He gained fame earlier in 2024 for showing up alive to funerals of other militants after being reported dead himself. The IDF claimed he was responsible for killing at least one Israeli and planning more attacks.

What happened at Jenin’s main hospital during the raids?

Israeli troops surrounded the main hospital in Jenin and built earthworks barriers with the stated intent of preventing militant fighters from retreating there. IDF troops did not enter the hospital but established checkpoints for ambulances.