On Monday, the Palestinian health ministry reported that three Palestinians were killed in separate clashes with the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank. Witnesses stated that two Palestinians in their 20s were killed during an Israeli army operation in Dura, located in the southern West Bank. They described witnessing young Palestinians throwing stones and hearing gunshots. Mohammed Rabaei, head of Dura Hospital, told AFP that soldiers arrived in the town and began shooting at people without warning. The violence resulted in nine people being wounded, with four in critical condition, according to the health ministry. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In Tulkarm province in the north, another Palestinian was reported killed, as confirmed by the health ministry. Since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on October 7, the West Bank has witnessed a surge in violence not seen since the Second Intifada, which occurred between 2000 and 2005. According to an AFP tally based on sources from both sides, Israeli army raids and attacks by settlers have resulted in the deaths of approximately 340 people in the West Bank during this period.

Additionally, on Monday, Israeli security forces conducted an early morning raid and arrested students at An-Najah National University in Nablus, located in the occupied West Bank, due to their alleged support for Hamas. The university called for the immediate release of the 25 arrested students and condemned the army raid as a "blatant Israeli aggression." The Israeli army stated that security forces had arrested "nine wanted persons associated with a Hamas student cell." According to a Palestinian security source, the arrests were made following the students' participation in prayers for Hamas and their praise of the Islamist militant group on social media. The source suggested that the arrests were part of an Israeli campaign against any form of support for the resistance in Gaza.

The Palestinian health ministry reported that over 520 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in 2023. During the same period, Palestinian militants carried out attacks in Israel and the West Bank, resulting in the deaths of at least 41 people, according to the Shin Bet security agency. It's important to note that Israel has occupied the West Bank, home to approximately three million Palestinians, since the Six-Day War of 1967. Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, the territory is now home to around 490,000 Israelis residing in settlements considered illegal under international law.

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