Twenty busloads of Israeli settlers visit Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus overnight, sparking clashes between their IDF escort and Palestinians from nearby Balata refugee camp; 3 Palestinians are injured. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops arrest a Palestinian outside a settlement near Hebron, allegedly for carrying a knife, arrest 17 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Jenin, and Nablus; and patrol near Nablus throughout the day. Israeli settlers uproot approximately 100 Palestinian olive trees in a grove near Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Qalandia refugee camp. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian land near Bayt Hanun, causing no major damage. (MNA, TOI, WAFA 1/31; PCHR 2/1; PCHR 2/8)
Hamas announces that 1 of its members died this morning while working on a “resistance tunnel” in Gaza. The specific circumstances of his death are unknown. (TOI 1/31)