Israeli forces raided multiple foreign exchange businesses across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, killing one Palestinian and injuring dozens in a widespread military operation that drew strong condemnation from Palestinian groups.
The raids targeted exchange shops in several cities, including Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Arrabeh, el-Bireh, Bethlehem, Jenin, and Tubas, reports Al Jazeera.
Residents reported that Israeli forces stormed the areas using live ammunition, tear gas, and smoke bombs. In Nablus, troops raided the Al-Khaleej Exchange Company and a nearby gold shop, while in Jenin, Israeli soldiers fired smoke bombs in the city center. Streets were also sealed off in Tubas and Bethlehem.
According to the Ministry of Health based in Ramallah, one man was killed and eight others were injured by live fire during the raid in Nablus. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it treated 20 people for tear gas inhalation and three more for rubber bullet injuries.
The operations coincided with Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, where over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, 2023, and tens of thousands continue to face starvation under siege conditions.
Israeli Army Radio reported that the raids were conducted on suspicions that the exchange shops were linked to “terrorism,” claiming that large sums of money designated for “terrorism infrastructure” in the West Bank were confiscated.
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At the Ramallah branch of Al-Khaleej Exchange, Israeli soldiers left a leaflet stating, “Israeli forces are taking action against Al-Khaleej Exchange Company due to its connections with terrorist organisations.”
Meanwhile, Hamas denounced the Israeli raids, saying they “constitute a new chapter in the occupation’s open war against the Palestinian people, their lives, their economy, and all the foundations of their steadfastness and perseverance on their land”.
“These assaults on economic institutions, accompanied by the looting of large sums of money and the confiscation of property, are an extension of the piracy policies adopted by the [Israeli] occupation government,” the Palestinian group said in a statement, adding that the targeted companies were “operating within the law”.
Hamas urged the Palestinian Authority to take measures against the Israeli attacks.
Separately, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement said the raids are “part of the open war against our people, targeting their very existence and cause”. The group also urged the Palestinian Authority to “defend” Palestinians from such attacks and “halt its policy of security coordination” with Israel.