Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Man in Silwad Raid East of Ramallah, Body Withheld

Israeli forces killed a 37-year-old Palestinian man during a raid on Silwad, east of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank early Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

“One young man was martyred at dawn this Wednesday by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Silwad, east of Ramallah, and another was wounded in Hebron in the West Bank, while the Israeli army announced the injury of two of its soldiers”

Al-Jazeera Net

Al-Jazeera Net said the Ministry of Health reported the martyrdom of Abdul Halim Ruhi Abdul Halim Hamad (37) “by the occupation army’s gunfire during its raid on Silwad” and described the seizure of his body.

Al-Jazeera Net

TRT World reported that the General Authority of Civil Affairs said Abdel Halim Ruhi Hammad was “shot by Israeli forces early on Wednesday” and that “Israeli forces are holding the body.”

WAFA Agency similarly identified the victim as Abdul Halim Rawhi Abdul Halim Hammad, 37, and said the body was “withheld by the Israeli army and taken away.”

Local sources cited by Al-Jazeera Net said occupation forces “executed the young man inside his home in front of his family after storming it,” arrested him while wounded, and then announced he had been martyred later.

TRT World added that the raid began around 1.30 am (1130GMT) and that soldiers removed an injured person from inside the Ruhi family home during the raid.

In parallel, the Israeli army said two Israeli soldiers were wounded and evacuated after “two individuals attacked two Israeli soldiers” during “an operational activity” in Silwad, as reported by TRT World and echoed by Palestine Chronicle’s account of a stabbing that left two soldiers injured.

The Silwad operation was described as beginning with Israeli forces entering a building where Palestinians were present and then coming under attack.

Islam Times said Channel 12 reported that “forces from the 94th Battalion of the Kfir Brigade came under attack while entering a building where several Palestinians were present,” adding that “one individual stabbed two soldiers with a knife.”

Middle East Eye

Palestine Chronicle likewise reported that “soldiers from the Kfir Brigade’s 94th Battalion came under attack while entering a residential building,” and said “a Palestinian carried out a stabbing, wounding two soldiers who were later evacuated for treatment.”

TRT World framed the same sequence through an Israeli statement, saying that “during an operational activity by army forces in the village of Silwad, two individuals attacked two Israeli soldiers, who were wounded and evacuated to a hospital.”

Al-Jazeera Net and WAFA Agency both described the raid as involving searches and home storming, with Al-Jazeera Net saying eyewitnesses saw an Israeli force “raided Silwad at dawn on Wednesday and conducted searches of Palestinian homes, during which there were assaults on residents.”

Al-Jazeera Net also reported that the father of the victim was arrested and later released, while WAFA Agency said the father was “briefly detained before being released.”

Beyond Silwad, the same day’s reporting described a wider campaign of raids and arrests across the West Bank, including Qabatiya, Kobar, Kafr Qaddum, and the Arroub and Fawwar refugee camps.

Reports described the Silwad killing as part of broader Israeli raids, detentions, and movement restrictions across the West Bank.

“ByPalestine Chronicle Staff An Israeli military raid on the town of Silwad, east of Ramallah, escalated into a deadly confrontation early Wednesday, leaving two Israeli soldiers injured and a Palestinian man killed, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources”

Palestine Chronicle

Al-Jazeera Net said that in Hebron, “a young man was shot in the leg with live bullets and another was arrested during clashes in the Al-Arub refugee camp south of the West Bank,” and that Israeli forces “fired live bullets and sound bombs” during clashes after a raid on the camp.

It also said Israeli forces arrested “eight residents in Beit Ummar north of Hebron,” and erected “several military checkpoints at the entrances to Hebron and its towns, villages, and camps,” while closing roads with “iron gates, concrete blocks, and earthen barriers.”

In central Bethlehem, Al-Jazeera Net reported that occupation forces arrested “two youths” after raiding family homes and searching them, and it listed areas entered “including Manger Square, Al-Fireh Street, and Al-Abiyat to the east.”

In Jenin, Al-Jazeera Net said the raid on Qabatia led to a suspension of classes, with “the directorate of education for the south of Jenin” deciding to “suspend classes today, Wednesday, in Qabatia” and to hold exams for “the tenth and seventh grades” on Thursday.

TRT World added that the incident came “amid a noticeable escalation in arrest operations in the occupied West Bank since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023,” citing “more than 23,000 arrests recorded” by the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

TeleSUR English reported that Israeli forces “sealed off access to Silwad and several surrounding communities on Wednesday morning,” affecting “Deir Yarir, east of Ramallah” and the towns of “Atara and Ein Siniya,” and said “Military checkpoints and roadblocks prevented movement in and out of the area for hours.”

The reporting set Palestinian accounts of the raid against Israeli operational claims and described the body’s fate as a key point of contention.

Al-Jazeera Net said local sources reported that occupation forces “executed the young man inside his home in front of his family after storming it,” and that he was “arrested while wounded, before it was announced that he had been martyred later.”

WAFA Agency

WAFA Agency said the Ministry of Health, citing the General Authority for Civil Affairs, identified the victim and that “Hammad's body was subsequently withheld by the Israeli army and taken away,” while also saying local sources reported that Israeli forces “detained him while he was injured, and later announced his death.”

TRT World, by contrast, included an Israeli statement saying that “during an operational activity by army forces in the village of Silwad, two individuals attacked two Israeli soldiers, who were wounded and evacuated to a hospital.”

Palestine Chronicle described the Israeli army’s response as opening fire and detaining another Palestinian, stating “Israeli army said its forces opened fire, killing one Palestinian and detaining another,” and it said Palestinian authorities identified the man as “Abdul Halim Rouhi Abdul Halim Hammad, 37.”

Islam Times and Palestine Chronicle both attributed the stabbing to “the 94th Battalion of the Kfir Brigade” coming under attack, with Islam Times citing Channel 12 that “one individual stabbed two soldiers with a knife.”

TeleSUR English added that the Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the slain man as “Abdulhalim Hamad” and said local sources reported “a second Palestinian was detained at the scene.”

The Silwad raid and killing were presented as part of a broader pattern of violence and arrests in the West Bank, with multiple sources citing cumulative figures and ongoing operations.

“A Palestinian was killed in Israeli army fire in the town of Silwad, east of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry”

TRT World

Al-Jazeera Net said that “Since October 2023, the Israeli army and settlers’ assaults in the West Bank have resulted in the martyrdom of no fewer than 1,154 Palestinians and injuries to about 11,750, in addition to the arrest of about 22,000, according to official Palestinian figures.”

اسلام تايمز

TRT World similarly said the occupied West Bank has seen “deaths of at least 1,154 Palestinians and injuries to thousands others, according to official data,” and it tied the Silwad incident to “a noticeable escalation in arrest operations” with “more than 23,000 arrests recorded.”

TeleSUR English cited United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs figures, saying it has recorded “at least 240 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire across the territory, including East Jerusalem, in 2025,” and that “An additional nine deaths were attributed to settlers that year.”

It also cited B’Tselem, saying “at least 37 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire so far in 2026.”

In the immediate aftermath, Al-Jazeera Net said Israeli forces “erected several military checkpoints” and “closed a number of main and secondary roads,” while TeleSUR English said “Military checkpoints and roadblocks prevented movement in and out of the area for hours.”

Palestine Chronicle reported that “A general strike was declared in Silwad amid rising anger” and that Israeli forces tightened measures around Ramallah by “closing checkpoints and restricting movement in and out of the city.”