Israel destroys food storage facility, blacksmith in Qalqilya raid

Israeli occupation forces raided the city of Qalqilya, in the northern occupied West Bank, destroying a food storage facility, reported Wafa news agency.

According to local residents, Israeli military vehicles broke into the city early this morning, storming several streets and areas, particularly the Kfar Saba neighbourhood, where they demolished a large food storage facility.

Israeli soldiers also targeted a blacksmith, confiscating and dismantling its equipment.

It comes after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution last week calling for an end to Israel’s “unlawful” occupation within 12 months and called for reparations to be paid to Palestinians affected by the decades-long occupation of their land.

Tensions have intensified throughout the occupied West Bank as Israel persists in its offensive on the Gaza Strip, where it has killed over 41,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Alongside its ongoing war on Gaza since 7 October, the Israeli army has expanded its operations in the West Bank, while settlers have escalated their attacks, leading to the deaths of 716 Palestinians, the injury of around 5,750, and the arrest of over 10,800, according to Palestinian official sources.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion last July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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