Israeli forces close Al-Aqsa gates and settlers clash in Kifl Haris: What happened on July 14, 2026, in the occupied West Bank

Settler incursion into Kifl Haris sparks clashes and arrests

Overnight from Monday into Tuesday, around 100 members of an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic group — followers of convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland — entered the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris, northwest of Salfit . The group carried out acts of vandalism, damaging vehicles and property . According to the Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post, Palestinian residents threw stones at the group, and two of the Israeli entrants were reportedly injured but declined hospital treatment, fearing arrest for draft evasion .

Israeli police arrested five Israeli citizens — residents of Jerusalem aged between 16 and 20 — in connection with the incident . Multiple sources, including the official Palestinian news agency Wafa and local officials, described the incursion as part of a series of settler attacks across the West Bank on the same day, with settlers targeting homes, vehicles, and infrastructure, often under the protection of Israeli forces .

Broader military operations and settlement expansion

The events of July 14 did not occur in isolation. Israeli forces carried out late-night raids across several areas of the occupied West Bank earlier that week, detaining Palestinians and sparking clashes . The overall military posture has escalated sharply. OCHA's July 10 report documents that Israeli forces' operations, demolitions, settlement expansion, and recurrent settler violence are increasingly driving displacement, heightening protection risks, and restricting Palestinians' access to housing, livelihoods, and essential services across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem .

On July 3, 2026, Israel's Security Cabinet approved a plan to establish 13 new settlements in the central occupied West Bank — a move Palestinian officials said would further fragment the territory and isolate East Jerusalem from its surrounding Palestinian communities .

Summary

Tuesday's events unfolded within a rapidly deteriorating environment in the occupied territory:

• Al-Aqsa closure — Israeli forces shut the King Faisal Gate for 30 minutes under the pretext of military drills, restricting Muslim worship .
• Kifl Haris incursion — Around 100 ultra-Orthodox settlers entered the village, vandalized property, sparked clashes, and led to five arrests by Israeli police .
• Broader escalation — Ongoing military raids, settlement expansion, and movement restrictions continue to displace Palestinians and fuel violence across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, per the latest OCHA assessment .