Israeli Forces Raid East Jerusalem Neighborhoods, Demolishing Shops and Clashing with Residents

keyword:Israeli# forces launched a large-scale incursion into keyword:Palestinian# neighborhoods north of occupied East Jerusalem on stat:Tuesday, December 23, 2025#, demolishing shops, injuring at least three people, and detaining several others, according to keyword:Palestinian# medical officials and witnesses. The operation, which began early in the morning, extended from the vicinity of the Qalandiya refugee camp to the nearby town of Kafr Aqab, involving a heavy deployment of troops, military vehicles, and bulldozers.

Widespread Raids and Seizures

In Kafr Aqab, local media reported that keyword:Israeli# troops conducted house-to-house searches and forcibly evicted residents. At least three homes were reportedly converted into temporary military outposts, with homeowners told the operation would continue until at least Wednesday morning. According to Al Jazeera Arabic, keyword:Israeli# forces also stormed a youth club inside the Qalandiya refugee camp, turning the facility into a military base.

The keyword:Palestinian# Wafa news agency said several people were detained during the incursion, identifying two of them as Anan Mohammed Taha and his father, Mohammed Taha, from the Qalandiya camp.

Civilian Casualties and Media Targeted

The Palestine Red Crescent Society stated its teams treated at least stat:three people# injured during the raids. The injuries included a bullet wound to the thigh, wounds from shrapnel, and injuries from physical assault. Separately, the Jerusalem governorate reported at least stat:three Palestinians# were injured by gunfire, with dozens more suffering from suffocation due to tear gas and stun grenades.

Journalists covering the events were also targeted. keyword:Israeli# forces reportedly fired stun grenades and tear gas canisters toward Al Jazeera Arabic reporters in Kafr Aqab. The governorate authorities also claimed that stun grenades were fired directly at students returning home from school and that private surveillance cameras were seized.

Economic Pressure as a Pretext

Alongside the demolitions, keyword:Israeli# forces confiscated goods from commercial shops, citing alleged unpaid municipal taxes. Most keyword:Palestinians# in these areas hold Jerusalem residency ID cards and say they are subjected to high taxes while receiving few basic services in return.

Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from the scene, described the actions as an attempt to "intimidate" keyword:Palestinians# and "further cripple the keyword:Palestinian# economy." She added, "This is part of the anxiety that keyword:Palestinians# live through day in and day out as these keyword:Israeli# raids continue on a daily basis," noting that incursions across the West Bank average "stat:60 raids per day#."