While all eyes are on Gaza, tensions rise in the West Bank

While the world remains fixated on Gaza, the situation in the West Bank is deteriorating, with escalating military operations, increased settler violence, and shifting political dynamics triggering mass displacement and uncertainty.

Israeli forces have launched a large-scale offensive, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee refugee camps, while settlement expansion and violent attacks by settlers fuel further instability. At the same time, the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostage exchange deal and the Palestinian Authority’s decision to end financial support for families of slain or imprisoned Palestinians add to the growing unrest.

On 21 January, just two days after the Gaza ceasefire took effect, the IDF launched Operation "Iron Wall" in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a "large-scale and significant military operation" in Jenin against Palestinian militants. The operation has since expanded to three more camps in the northern West Bank: Tulkarem, Nur Shams, and Al-Far’a.

As a result, approximately 30,000 Palestinians have evacuated refugee camps in the northern West Bank, according to Palestinian Authority sources cited by Haaretz. Since the start of the offensive, Israeli forces have killed at least 44 Palestinians, including five children and two women, in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas governorates, as well as in four refugee camps in these areas, according to the UN Human Rights Office.

The governor of the Tulkarem district, Abdullah Kamil, estimated that around 15,000 residents have fled the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps. He attributed the displacement to "destruction, threats, shooting, and the presence of snipers." Many residents had already fled during a Palestinian Authority operation in December, and others left during recent Israeli military operations. In Jenin, 50 kilometres to the north, similar displacement is occurring. Jenin Mayor Mohammad Jarrar told Haaretz that 16,000 residents have been driven from their homes. "You can't compare this operation to its predecessors," he said.

In another development that could escalate tensions, Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog, reported on Monday that Israel has issued a tender for the construction of 974 new housing units in the Efrat settlement, south of Bethlehem. Peace Now stated that this expansion would increase Efrat’s population by 40%, further obstructing the growth of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem. The project, approved last year, will expand Efrat’s land area by 644 dunams, increasing the settlement’s footprint by approximately 10%. Hagit Ofran, who leads Peace Now’s settlement monitoring, explained that construction could begin once the contracting process and permit approvals are completed, which could take at least another year.

Meanwhile, settler violence continues to escalate across the West Bank. Over the weekend, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians, IDF soldiers, and damaged homes in two locations.

Palestinians have filed numerous complaints about settler violence in the past. Two months ago, settlers set fire to a structure in the same area, and in several other cases, Palestinians were attacked inside their homes.

As part of the ongoing hostage release deal with Hamas, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails on Saturday in exchange for the release of hostages Sagui Dekel-Chen, Iair Horn, and Sasha Troufanov. Among those released were 36 prisoners who had been serving life sentences for involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis, and 12 of them were allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The release of these prisoners, particularly Hamas supporters, has heightened tensions within the Palestinian Authority (PA) and increased concerns, in Israel, over potential terrorist attacks and unrest. One high-profile release was Jamal Al-Tawil, a prominent Hamas politician in the West Bank. He has spent nearly two decades in and out of Israeli prisons on allegations that he helped plot suicide bombings. In 2021, the Israeli military arrested Al-Tawil, accusing him of participating in riots and mobilising Hamas political activists in Ramallah, the PA's administrative centre. He was held without charge or trial and released to Ramallah.

In a move to bolster its international credibility and present itself as a viable governing option for Gaza, PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced the end of a financial support program for families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel—a long-standing demand by the US and Israel.

However, it remains unclear whether the allowances will stop immediately or continue in another form.

The PA stated that:

Hamas condemned Abbas’s decision, calling it an "unpatriotic move" and urging him to reverse it immediately. Despite this reform, the Netanyahu government remains sceptical, dismissing the decree as “a fraudulent exercise” by the PA, which, it claims, still intends to pay terrorists and their families through alternative channels. The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday night rejecting the PA’s move, reinforcing its stance that it will prevent the PA from playing any role in post-war Gaza governance.

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Israeli army operations drive 30,000 palestinians from West Bank refugee camps (Haaretz)

‘Last nail in the coffin’: Israeli settlers push on with fresh West Bank land grab (The Guardian)

Dozens of Israeli settlers attack palestinians in the West Bank; six wounded, no arrests (Haaretz)

PHOTOS: Israel ravages West Bank refugee camps  (+972 Magazine)

Fears grow that West Bank could become second Gaza (DW)

In major win for Trump, PA’s Abbas signs decree ending ‘pay-to-slay’ system (The Times of Israel)