Israeli forces arrested the mayor of Hebron in a pre-dawn raid Tuesday, as troops carried out widespread operations across the West Bank that included arrests, searches and a deadly targeted strike in the north, according to Israeli and Palestinian reports.
Palestinian media outlets said soldiers stormed the home of Tayseer Abu Sneineh, the city’s mayor, breaking doors and conducting a search before taking him into administrative detention. The Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news site Quds said he was suspected of incitement and of supporting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Palestinian Authority officials condemned the arrest, calling it dangerous given Abu Sneineh’s position as head of the largest local municipality in the Palestinian territories. They linked the move to ongoing Israeli military operations, including raids on schools and the arrest of students and teachers, alongside Israeli government discussions about establishing what they described as a separate “Hebron Emirate” disconnected from the Palestinian Authority.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops raided several villages near Nablus — including Qalil, Tell, Asira al-Shamaliya and Qusra — arresting 13 people, Palestinian sources said. They reported that one resident was beaten and hospitalized, while soldiers searched homes, interrogated locals in the field and caused property damage.
Separately, Israeli counterterrorism police carried out a targeted killing in the village of Tamun, in the northern Tubas district, saying they struck a terrorist cell suspected of preparing an attack. “A terrorist attempted to flee; counterterrorism forces fired at him, and a hit was identified,” the IDF said.
Israeli counterterrorism police carry out a targeted killing of terror suspect in the village of Tamun, West Bank
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that five members of one family, including three children, were injured when Israeli forces opened fire on their vehicle during the raid. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the father was critically wounded in the head, the mother was moderately injured and the children sustained light injuries. All were treated at a government hospital in Tubas.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its crews treated the wounded and claimed Israeli forces fired at ambulances trying to reach the scene. Witnesses said Israeli special forces infiltrated the town, fired on vehicles and were later reinforced by troops entering from the east.
Video circulated from the incident showed the targeted terrorist shot dead in the driver’s seat of a car, with local medics later seen providing aid to others in the vehicle.