The Israeli army has increased its military presence in the occupied West Bank, bringing the number of deployed battalions to 26, according to Israeli media reports.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported the troop increase but did not provide details about the size of the reinforcement or the reasons behind it.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said Israeli authorities had taken control of around 15 dunams of land belonging to Al-Bireh. According to the commission, the land seizure is intended to create a nearly four-kilometer security route around an Israeli settlement on Jabal al-Taweel, east of the city.
The commission said the planned route would create an additional buffer zone and limit Palestinians’ access to land surrounding the settlement. Preliminary assessments suggest that the military order could also restrict access to more than 380 dunams between the settlement and the proposed route.
The commission described the move as part of a broader Israeli policy that has expanded since October 2023. It said 46 military orders have been issued during this period to create buffer zones around settlements.
According to the commission, such zones are increasingly being used as a regular means of expanding settlement control over Palestinian land, even without immediate construction plans or formal changes to land ownership.
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