20 more Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank bring arrests since Oct. 7 to 8,745

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army on Wednesday detained 20 more Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

The arrests took place in the cities of East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Tulkarem, and Qalqilya, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The arrests included two minors and former detainees, the statement also said.

The new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since last October to 8,745, according to Palestinian figures.

The Israeli army earlier on Wednesday stormed into several areas across the occupied West Bank to arrest more Palestinians.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Nearly 500 Palestinians have since been killed and around 4,900 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar