IDF launches ‘large-scale operation’ in Palestinian refugee camp

Rawan Suleiman and Yaniv Kubovich report on 5 August 2026:

Israeli security forces launched a large-scale operation overnight Tuesday into Wednesday in the Qalandiya refugee camp north of Jerusalem, targeting what authorities described as “terrorist elements” in the camp while reportedly blocking several entrances.

A video filmed in Qalandiya, which straddles the West Bank and East Jerusalem, shows four soldiers with drawn weapons beating a young man in the refugee camp. The footage shows an exchange between the man and the soldiers, after which they knock him to the ground while continuing to strike him.

Qalandiya refugee camp, Wednesday.

The Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem District Governor’s Office reported that the forces were operating in the area since 1:00 A.M., conducting raids and searches in several neighborhoods.

Leaflets distributed by the IDF in the camp declared that “Israeli security forces have launched a large-scale operation against terrorists,” adding that the forces would use “all means to thwart any attempt to carry out terrorist acts.” Residents were warned that anyone who attempted to harm Israeli civilians or Israeli security forces would be subject to “live fire and arrest.”

The IDF’s COGAT branch issued an Arabic-language statement to residents announcing that the operation is targeting “terrorist infrastructure and the possession and trafficking of weapons, which pose a threat to the security of the entire region.  We will not allow the camp to become a terrorist hotbed or a haven for terrorists and criminals, just as we will not allow this in other camps throughout Judea and Samaria,” the biblical name for the West Bank.

The Palestinian Al-Quds network reported that Israeli forces stormed the headquarters of the camp’s popular committee.

According to the report, the forces beat journalist Mohammed Samarin while he was covering the raid, and also prevented residents from praying in all mosques in Qalandiya.

The raids follow reports by the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA on Tuesday that Israeli forces have raided its Qalandiya Training Centre, its last operational facility in East Jerusalem, five times since the start of 2026, according to Wafa, the Palestinian news agency.

Last week, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he had instructed the IDF to prepare for the takeover of another refugee camp in the West Bank and the expulsion of its Palestinian residents.

A statement from his office said the decision was intended “to expand offensive operations against Palestinian terrorism that is attempting to raise its head again.” According to Katz, the decision was made following a security discussion attended by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and senior officials from the police and security establishment.

Security sources told Haaretz at the time that the political-security cabinet had discussed expanding operations to several additional refugee camps in the West Bank. Over the past two years, the IDF has taken control of the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps and expelled most of their residents.

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