Israel launches West Bank raids in Biddu after settler killed near Halamish

September 21, 2026 at 03:23 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Israeli forces continued large-scale raids in Biddu, northwest of East Jerusalem, on Monday, detaining at least 53 Palestinians. The operation followed a shooting near the Halamish settlement on September 20 that killed an Israeli settler. The suspected attacker, a 37-year-old Biddu resident, was seized by Israeli troops from a Ramallah hospital hours after the attack.

Key Facts

Israeli forces detained at least 53 Palestinians in Biddu on Monday, according to Anadolu citing Jerusalem province authorities.
The raids began after a Palestinian gunman killed an Israeli settler near the Halamish settlement on September 20.
The suspected attacker, 37-year-old Qadri Samara from Biddu, was seized by Israeli troops from H-Clinic Hospital in Ramallah while wounded and receiving oxygen.
Biddu Mayor Nazmi Mansour told Al Jazeera that several homes are being used to hold and interrogate dozens of young men, and schools in the town are closed.

The Raids in Biddu

Israeli forces continued large-scale raids in Biddu, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, on Monday and detained at least 53 Palestinians, according to Anadolu citing Jerusalem province authorities. Palestinian sources said Israeli soldiers are searching homes and interrogating residents. Biddu Mayor Nazmi Mansour told Al Jazeera that several homes are being used to hold and interrogate dozens of young men. He also reported property damage and use of force during the raids, and said schools in the town are closed while residents remain in their homes.

The Attack and Manhunt

The operation began after a shooting on the morning of September 20 near the Israeli settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish, northwest of Ramallah. According to Israeli military and police, an armed Palestinian opened fire from a car at Israelis near a natural spring, wounding one man who later died in hospital. The suspected attacker, a 37-year-old Biddu resident, was wounded during the pursuit and was detained hours later by soldiers from the Israeli Duvdevan unit at a hospital in the Ramallah area. Israeli forces deployed drones and a helicopter, surrounded nearby Palestinian communities, and established military checkpoints during the manhunt, according to Palestine Online. Israeli soldiers stormed H-Clinic Hospital in Ramallah and seized Qadri Samara from his treatment bed while he was wounded and receiving oxygen, The New Arab reported.