Israeli raid in Biddu leaves at least 53 Palestinians detained as town is locked down

Israeli forces have carried out a raid in Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, detaining at least 53 Palestinians and placing the town under lockdown. Schools, shops and educational institutions were shut as troops searched homes and moved through the area. The operation began early on Monday and is the third incursion into Biddu since a Palestinian man from the town, suspected of killing an Israeli settler, was arrested.

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The Jerusalem Governorate said at least 53 young men were being held in an interrogation centre set up inside one of the houses seized during the raid. Biddu Mayor Nazmi Mansour said the military operation had continued since the previous day, with several homes turned into detention centres and dozens of young men questioned. He said troops were deployed throughout the town, while residents remained inside their homes amid fear and uncertainty.

The Israeli military said a man armed with a gun fired at vehicles near Halamish, an Israeli settlement west of Ramallah in the central West Bank. It said the suspect was shot and wounded before being arrested during a military raid at a hospital in Ramallah. The raid in Biddu followed that incident and appears to be part of a wider security response in the area.

Local officials also said field interrogations were being carried out in the town. The operation comes against a backdrop of rising violence in the occupied West Bank. The supporting material says Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinians has been steadily growing since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, and has intensified significantly this year.

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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded more than 1,330 settler-related attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank from January to late September, underscoring the scale of the security and humanitarian pressure in the territory. Biddu has been repeatedly affected by the latest round of unrest because of the suspected shooting near Halamish and the arrest of the man accused in that case. The town's mayor said offices, shops and educational institutions remained closed, while residents stayed indoors as the raid continued.

The use of seized homes as detention and interrogation sites also highlights the extent of the military operation inside the town. What remains unclear is how long the raid will continue, whether the number of detainees will rise, and what charges or further actions may follow. It is also not clear whether the people being held will be transferred elsewhere or released after questioning.

The situation in Biddu will likely remain closely watched as the wider security response in the West Bank develops.

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