In the latest surge of violence during a sensitive Jewish holiday period, two Palestinians were killed during an Israeli military raid in the Nour Shams refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The Israeli military claimed that the raid was conducted to destroy a militant command center and bomb-storage facility. Engineering units detonated several bombs planted under roads, triggering militants to open fire and hurl explosives. The Israeli troops responded with live fire, resulting in the deaths of Asid Abu Ali, 21, and Abdulrahman Abu Daghash, 32. The raid caused significant damage to the camp, including severing water pipes and flooding parts of the street.

The targeted building suffered heavily, with the ground floor being severely damaged and part of the second floor exterior wall collapsing. The Hamas militant group claimed Abu Ali as a member. In a separate incident, the Israeli army conducted a rare raid on Birzeit University near Ramallah, arresting nine students, including the head of the student council. The university denounced the raid and accused the Israeli military of causing damage to university property.

The Israeli army claimed that the suspects were plotting an attack on Israeli targets. Israel has been conducting increased military raids primarily in the northern West Bank for the past year and a half, aiming to root out Palestinian militants and prevent future attacks. However, Palestinians argue that these raids serve to further entrench Israel's 56-year occupation over the West Bank. The ongoing violence has not shown signs of slowing down and has led to the weakening of the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Since the beginning of the year, approximately 190 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, with Israel stating that most of those killed were militants.

However, there have been cases of Palestinian youths and non-confrontational individuals being killed during the incursions. Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks against Israelis have resulted in at least 31 deaths this year. The tensions have expanded to the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of Palestinians have held daily demonstrations along the fence separating the territory from Israel. Israeli airstrikes have targeted militant sites in Gaza for several consecutive days in response to incendiary balloons launched into Israeli farmland and explosive attacks on soldiers at the separation fence.

So far, there have been no reported casualties from these strikes. The recent spike in violence coincides with the Jewish New Year holiday season. Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, is set to be observed followed by the weeklong Sukkot festival. During Sukkot, large numbers of Jews are expected to visit Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, known as the Temple Mount by Jews and the Noble Sanctuary by Muslims. The compound, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, often becomes a focal point for violence. It is worth noting that Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians aspire to establish an independent state in these territories.