In Pictures

Photos: Israeli forces raid occupied West Bank’s Qalandiya refugee camp

Eight Palestinian people injured after Israeli forces enter homes, shops in Qalandiya, issuing demolition threats.

Qalandia refugee camp — Israeli forces patrol along a street during a military raid in the Qalandiya refugee camp, south of Ramallah [Zain Jaafar/AFP]

By AFP

Israeli forces have entered homes and shops in the occupied West Bank’s Qalandiya refugee camp, near Ramallah, issuing demolition threats against businesses.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said on Wednesday that eight Palestinian people were taken to hospital after suffering injuries.

Mohammad Aslan, spokesman for the committee that runs the affairs of the camp, told the AFP news agency that the Israeli army had arrested at least 20 people and took up positions on residents’ roofs.

In 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government advanced plans for the construction of an illegal 9,000-unit settlement on the grounds of Jerusalem’s former Atarot airport, adjacent to Qalandiya.

Palestinian residents have since voiced fear that raids and home demolitions could be tied to a strategy of eviction before illegal settlement construction, without any official word from Israeli authorities.

A journalist covering events was severely beaten by Israeli soldiers, while locals were also attacked.

Israeli forces during a military raid in the Qalandiya refugee camp

Israeli raid deepens fears across West Bank refugee camps

02:03

While barriers to free movement make the lives of Palestinians extremely difficult, they do not make Israel more secure.

Palestinians make their way to Al-Aqsa compound, also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, to attend the first Friday prayers during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, near the Qalandia checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman

The allocated funding seeks to accelerate Israel’s control of historical landmarks across the occupied West Bank.

PETZA'EL, WEST BANK - JULY 31: Jewish-Israelis hang out at the ancient archaeological site known as Herod's Pool on July 31, 2026 near the Israeli settlement of Petza'el, West Bank. Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced plans to invest three million shekels (USD $978,792) to develop an archeological site known by Israeli settlers as "Herod's Pool," located on privately-owned Palestinian land near Fasayel, in the Jordan Valley area of the occupied West Bank. The site was recently seized by settlers and made into an informal tourist attraction, filling the pool with water allegedly diverted from Palestinian lands, without permission from the Civil Administration authorities. The announcement of the plan comes after Smotrich threatened in May to seize the historic Solomon's Pools, near Bethlehem, which are also under Palestinian control. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)