Tubas has been identified as the ancient town of Thebez (), a Canaanite town famous for revolting against King Abimelech. During the late 19th century, during Ottoman rule in Palestine, Arab clans living in the Jordan Valley came to live in Tubas, and it became a major town in the District of Nablus, particularly known for its timber and cheese-making. It came under the British Mandate of Palestine in 1922, was annexed by Jordan after their capture of the town in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and then occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinian National Authority has had control of Tubas since the city was transferred to its jurisdiction in 1995.