Israel is grappling with fresh tensions in the occupied West Bank after a wave of arrests in Hebron and riots by Israeli settlers against the military that have revealed split loyalties in the far-right government.
Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, said it had arrested more than 60 Hamas operatives over the past three months with the help of the police and military. The series of operations announced on Sunday is one of the most intense in years against Hamas in the West Bank.
A statement from the agency said the arrests hit “large-scale Hamas infrastructure” in Hebron in an operation it described as the most complex it has undertaken in a decade. It added that the cell was working “to carry out shooting and bombing attacks against Israeli targets”, and that forces also uncovered weapons caches.
The operation in Hebron raises fears about the possible expansion of Israel’s unprecedented campaign in the north of the occupied West Bank, which has seen it occupy, destroy and evict the populations of refugee camps in cities such as Tulkarem and Jenin.
Like those areas, Hebron has a history of Palestinian militancy, including during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. This city has, however, experienced less Israeli military activity since the Gaza war began, in comparison to northern areas.
News of the wave of arrests came as settlers launched a series of attacks against Israeli soldiers. In the latest incident, an army installation in the West Bank was torched, causing millions of shekels' worth of damage. Hundreds of settlers rioted at the same time, with some holding signs calling a battalion commander a "traitor" after warning shots were fired to disperse settlers during a previous incident.
The clashes sparked condemnation across Israeli politics, including in the far-right governing coalition that itself contains many extremist settlers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “no civilised country can tolerate” the vandalism that took place and that “whoever commits such acts undermines the rule of law and harms the country”.
He nonetheless praised the wider settler movement, calling it an “example and role model for the development of the country”. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the violence crossed a “red line” and that the “beautiful face” of the settlement project had “no connection whatsoever to the type of incidents that were reported this morning”.
Mr Smotrich was widely criticised for taking the side of settlers after the earlier clash with Israeli soldiers in which the battalion commander fired warning shots. A 14-year-old Israeli in the area was taken to hospital with a bullet wound. The Israeli military has not confirmed whether the bullet came from its forces.
In the aftermath of the incident, Mr Smotrich posted on X that “live fire against Jews is a forbidden and dangerous crossing of a red line which requires an in-depth investigation”.
The clash took place in the village of Kafr Malik, near the Palestinian capital, Ramallah, which has been the scene of an increased rate of settler attacks against Palestinians in recent weeks. On Wednesday, three Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in the village.
There has been a major acceleration in the rate of settler attacks against Palestinian communities, with attacks on people, property and livestock since the Gaza war began. Israeli politicians rarely condemn the attacks and perpetrators are almost never brought to justice.
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South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
NEW ARRIVALS
Benjamin Mendy (Monaco) - £51.75m (Dh247.94m)
Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur) - £45.9m
Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £45m
Ederson Moraes (Benfica) - £36m
Danilo (Real Madrid) - £27m
Douglas Luiz (Vasco de Gama) - £10.8m
RACE CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
8.15pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
9.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
