BETHLEHEM, January 19, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces on Monday evening chased Palestinian workers in Wadi al-Hummus, located near al-Khas village, east of the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, according to security sources.

They said that the gun-toting soldiers chased and opened fire at several workers near the village, purportedly for attempting to enter Jerusalem for work without obtaining entry permits.

There were no injuries though.

Before Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, at least 390,000 Palestinians worked in Israel. But after the war, many of their work permits were "revoked". Some have continued to risk their lives for temporary work. Since October 2023, the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions has recorded at least 42 workers killed and 32,000 people detained by the occupation forces.

The International Court of Justice, in an Advisory Opinion in July 2004, deemed the wall illegal and called on Israel to dismantle it.

K.F.