Israeli forces arrested six Palestinians on Friday during raids across several cities and villages in the occupied West Bank.

In the southern West Bank, witnesses told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Israeli forces stormed the village of Deir Sammit, west of Hebron, and arrested four residents after raiding several homes.

In the northern West Bank, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli soldiers raided the Balata al-Balad area, east of Nablus, ransacking a home and arresting one individual.

The Israeli army also raided the El-Ain refugee camp in western Nablus, damaging belongings in several homes but making no arrests, according to Wafa.

In the city of Qalqilya, Israeli forces arrested another resident, searched a home, destroyed its furniture, and seized gold jewelry, Wafa added.

Separately, illegal settlers from the southern Hebron settlement of Otniel moved westward toward the Negohot settlement, passing through Palestinian villages and farmland, according to witnesses.

The settlers entered the village of Al-Alaqah, gathering around a local water well and alarming children in the area.

The group also stormed the village of Marah al-Baqqar, where they climbed the minaret of a mosque, singing and dancing.

Local residents confronted the settlers and demanded they leave, witnesses reported.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,700 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

Over 783 Palestinians have been killed and more than 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion by the International Court of Justice in July that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.