A young Palestinian throws stones near burning tires at Israeli military vehicles conducting a raid in the old city of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on June 10, 2025. (Credit: Jaafar Ashtiyeh /AFP)
A large Israeli military operation began early on Tuesday in the old city of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank, according to AFP journalists on the scene. Shortly after midnight, dozens of military vehicles had entered the town, according to an AFP correspondent, who noted that a curfew had been announced the day before via loudspeakers.
Nablus is located in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967, particularly targeted since the beginning of the "Iron Wall" operation on Jan. 21, described by Israel as an offensive against Palestinian armed groups. On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers raided shops in the area and arrested several Palestinians, according to the same correspondent.
In response to the raids, Palestinian protestors gathered to burn tires and throw stones at Israeli armored vehicles. The Israeli army fired tear gas at them, and two AFP journalists saw soldiers shooting a Palestinian man before taking his body away. When contacted by AFP, the army did not respond immediately.
The Palestinian Red Crescent stated it had assisted at least 27 injured, mainly for tear gas inhalation. Hundreds of journalists, including from international media, were present on site. The neighborhood, usually very busy, is now almost empty with most of the shops closed.
This part of Nablus is the scene of regular Israeli raids, notably in 2022-2023 in the "Lion's Den" operation, and in 2002, as part of the Israeli "Rampart" operation. After two particularly deadly years, violence has drastically escalated since the beginning of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023.
Since then, at least 938 Palestinians, including fighters and civilians, have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to data from the Palestinian Authority. According to official Israeli data, 35 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids.
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