Israel mobilized all its West Bank battalions for a surprise military drill Friday as occupation forces conducted widespread raids across Palestinian communities.
Key Takeaways
- The Israeli army mobilized all battalions operating in the occupied West Bank for a surprise exercise involving increased troop movements throughout the territory.
- Occupation forces simultaneously raided communities across Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, Qalqilya and Tulkarm, arresting Palestinians and searching homes.
- Palestinian data recorded 536 attacks involving land bulldozing and destruction of agricultural crops during the first eight months of 2026.
Israel Mobilizes All West Bank Battalions
The Israeli army launched a surprise military exercise across the occupied West Bank on Friday, mobilizing all battalions of the division operating in the territory amid continuing raids and attacks on Palestinian communities.
The occupation army said the exercise was intended to test the preparedness and operational readiness of its forces for what it described as “various surprise scenarios.”
According to Anadolu news agency, all battalions of the West Bank Division were mobilized for the drill, which was expected to continue through Friday afternoon and involve intensified movements and deployments of Israeli occupation forces throughout the occupied territory.
Occupation forces storm Dura, south of Hebron.Israeli troops raid Palestinian neighbourhoods in the West Bank, entering homes and restricting movement. These incursions are a regular feature of life under occupation.
Dura residents face this again and again. Families woken in… pic.twitter.com/pnKdaRcJGF
— Paddystinian (@Paddystinian) September 11, 2026
The Israeli army linked the exercise to preparations for the upcoming Jewish holiday period, beginning with Rosh Hashanah on Friday, followed by Yom Kippur and Sukkot later in September.
Israel routinely imposes additional military restrictions on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem during Jewish holidays.
The large-scale exercise comes amid an already intensified Israeli military presence across the West Bank, where raids, arrests, home demolitions and land bulldozing have continued alongside escalating settler violence.
Raids and Arrests Sweep Palestinian Communities
Israeli occupation forces carried out a widespread campaign of raids overnight and early Friday across several West Bank governorates.
According to Quds News Network, occupation forces repeatedly stormed Beita, south of Nablus, and searched several Palestinian homes.
Israeli forces also entered Faisal Street in central Nablus, the area surrounding the old Askar refugee camp east of the city and Qaryut, south of Nablus.
Near Tell, southwest of Nablus, Israeli occupation forces detained village council head Hazem Asida, council member Assem Walid Zeidan and another Palestinian.
Raids extended to the Khallat al-Suha neighborhood in Jenin and Aida refugee camp north of Bethlehem.
In Immatin, east of Qalqilya, occupation forces searched homes and arrested Rifat Bari, his son Abdullah and Mahdi Bari.
Israeli forces also stormed Baqa al-Sharqiya in Tulkarm Governorate and arrested Bahaa Ayman Daher and Islam Bahaa Daher.
Meanwhile, illegal Israeli Jewish settlers entered Awarta, southeast of Nablus, to perform religious rituals at the Al-Uzair shrine. Settlers also raided a Palestinian home in Khallat al-Homs, south of Hebron (Al-Khalil).
Israeli occupation bulldozers razed Palestinian-owned agricultural lands in the village of Al-Majd in the town of Dura in southern Hebron, occupied West Bank, today. pic.twitter.com/618GEqhZxn
— Al-Jarmaq News (@Aljarmaqnetnews) September 10, 2026
536 Attacks on Palestinian Agricultural Lands
The military escalation has unfolded alongside sustained attacks by Israeli forces and illegal settlers on Palestinian agricultural land.
Data compiled by the Palestinian Information Center Ma’ta recorded 536 operations involving land bulldozing and the destruction of agricultural crops between the beginning of 2026 and the end of August.
Sixty-four such incidents were recorded in August alone, accounting for roughly 12 percent of the eight-month total and averaging about two incidents per day.
Across the first eight months of 2026, the average stood at approximately 67 incidents each month.
The attacks included bulldozing agricultural land, damaging crops, uprooting trees and destroying plants.
Beyond immediate financial losses, the destruction threatens the longer-term productive capacity of Palestinian farmland and the livelihoods of families dependent on agriculture.
Repeated restrictions on farmers’ access to their land, combined with the destruction of trees and crops, have also placed additional pressure on Palestinian food security.
The latest military mobilization comes within the broader expansion of Israeli control across the occupied West Bank, where settlements established by Israel remain illegal under international law.
(PC, AA, QNN)
12 countries announce a “ban on settlement goods” while they fund and arm the full destruction of Palestine. They aren’t fooling anyone.