Israel detains more than 70 suspects following West Bank violence

Israel’s military said it detained more than 70 suspects in the West Bank after Friday’s clashes that resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian villagers. The arrests were carried out overnight and on Saturday in multiple locations, including the village of Tell, where the violence was centered.

Palestinian officials reported that soldiers entered a hospital in Nablus, detaining staff and patients. > "More than 50 armed soldiers and officers stormed the hospital, terrifying the patients," said Ghassan Barkat, director of Nablus Specialty Hospital. He added that staff and a seriously injured man were detained and that women and children were present.

The Israeli military statement did not mention the hospital raid but said it had searched over 300 sites and detained individuals it described as affiliates of Hamas, arms traffickers and “terrorists.”

Local reports indicated that a group of settlers entered Tell and were confronted by residents, leading to the exchange of gunfire. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli soldiers shot and killed four Palestinians in Tell, while the Israeli side reported two soldiers killed, including one settler member of a local defense squad. Additional injuries were reported on both sides.

Amin Shuman, president of the Palestinian Higher Commission for the Affairs of Prisoners, said the arrests represented “collective punitive measures” against Palestinians.

Separate incidents were reported in the village of Susya, where rocks were thrown and a soldier’s weapon was briefly stolen before being recovered. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Saturday killed at least four Palestinians and wounded more than 15, according to Palestinian health officials.

The latest violence occurs amid ongoing tensions over Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, which the international community largely regards as illegal under international law.