In the early hours of August 27, 2025, the old city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank became the latest epicenter of escalating violence between Israeli forces and Palestinians. According to multiple sources, including AFP, Al Jazeera, and Drop Site Daily, dozens of Israeli soldiers, some in armored vehicles and accompanied by snipers, stormed several neighborhoods of the historic city around 3:00 am local time. The raid, which the Israeli military confirmed but declined to detail, unfolded in a city already marked by a long history of conflict and resistance.
The operation quickly turned Nablus’s winding alleyways and dense residential quarters into a battleground. Ghassan Hamdan, head of the Palestinian Medical Relief organization in Nablus, described scenes of soldiers “storming and searching houses and shops inside the Old City while some houses have been turned into military posts.” Videos verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad captured Israeli forces firing tear gas canisters to disperse crowds, while young Palestinians hurled stones in return, fueling tense chase-and-run confrontations. At least one child was arrested during these clashes.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported treating at least 36 people, many suffering from tear gas inhalation, while other medical sources cited by Al Jazeera put the total number of wounded at more than 80. Among the injured were several hit with live ammunition, five struck by rubber bullets, and one individual wounded by physical assault. Another person was hurt in a fall during the chaos, and at least 27 more required medical attention for tear gas exposure. The Red Crescent’s teams worked through the morning as the violence raged on, with armored vehicles and troops occupying key positions throughout the old city.
Governor of Nablus, Ghassan Daghlas, estimated the scale of the operation to be massive, telling AFP that “as many as 2,000 Israeli soldiers have been involved in this operation.” He described the raid as “a show of force with no justification,” echoing the sentiments of many local residents who have seen their city become a repeated target of Israeli military actions. The army, according to Daghlas, informed Palestinian authorities that the raid would last until 4:00 pm that day, setting the stage for hours of heightened tension and uncertainty for the city’s roughly 30,000 inhabitants.
This latest incursion into Nablus followed closely on the heels of another Israeli military operation the previous day in Ramallah and el-Bireh, where forces targeted a currency exchange center. That raid left at least 58 Palestinians wounded, including at least one child, and saw Israeli security forces seize approximately 1.5 million shekels (about $447,000) from money exchange centers, as reported by Israeli police. The consecutive nature of these operations has fueled widespread concern and condemnation among Palestinian officials and humanitarian organizations alike.
Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, in a statement relayed by the official news agency Wafa, condemned “the Israeli escalation in cities and refugee camps,” labeling the recent uptick in raids as “dangerous, condemned and unacceptable.” The old city of Nablus, in particular, has been a repeated flashpoint. It was the site of major Israeli raids in 2022 and 2023 targeting local armed groups, and during the second Palestinian intifada in 2002. More recently, an Israeli military operation in early June 2025 resulted in the deaths of at least two Palestinians.
The broader context for these events is a surge in violence across the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. According to figures compiled by AFP from Palestinian Authority sources, at least 972 Palestinians—including militants and civilians—have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank during this period. United Nations data cited by Al Jazeera puts the death toll even higher, at 982, including hundreds of children. In the same timeframe, at least 36 Israelis, both civilians and security personnel, have lost their lives in attacks or military operations in the territory, based on Israeli government statistics.
Beyond the casualties, the ongoing conflict has forced tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes, as noted by Al Jazeera and humanitarian organizations. The old city of Nablus, with its labyrinthine streets and centuries-old architecture, has seen its population repeatedly subjected to military incursions, home searches, and the transformation of civilian spaces into makeshift military posts. Local sources described how soldiers expelled an elderly couple from their home, a stark reminder of the human cost of these operations.
As the raid unfolded, clashes erupted at the eastern entrance to the old city. Young Palestinians, some barely in their teens, confronted heavily armed soldiers with little more than stones. The Israeli military responded with tear gas and live ammunition, intensifying the sense of siege that gripped the city. Footage from the scene showed troops taking up positions on rooftops, a tactic long used during urban operations in the West Bank.
The Israeli military, for its part, remained tight-lipped about the objectives of the Nablus raid, promising only to release details once the operation had concluded. This opacity has fueled speculation and frustration among Palestinians and international observers alike, many of whom see the raids as part of a broader pattern of collective punishment and intimidation.
Meanwhile, the violence in Nablus was mirrored by ongoing devastation in Gaza, where, according to Drop Site Daily and Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 76 Palestinians were killed and 298 injured in the previous 24 hours alone, including 10 deaths attributed to famine and malnutrition. The cumulative toll since October 7, 2023, stands at a staggering 62,895 killed and 158,927 injured, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian crisis gripping the region.
International reactions have been swift but divided. The United Nations and various human rights groups have repeatedly called for restraint and accountability, while the Israeli government maintains that its operations are necessary to combat militant threats. Local Palestinian leaders and medical workers, however, insist that the brunt of the violence is borne by civilians, many of whom have little means to protect themselves or flee the conflict zones.
As the dust settles in Nablus, the scars of the latest raid linger. For residents, the pattern is all too familiar—military operations that upend daily life, inflict injury and trauma, and leave the underlying grievances unresolved. With the cycle of violence showing few signs of abating, the people of Nablus, like so many across the West Bank and Gaza, are left to navigate an uncertain future amid the ruins of repeated conflict.