Israel arrests 20 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

By Awad Rajoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – At least 20 more Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups on Sunday.

The raids targeted the cities of Hebron, Tulkarm, Nablus, and Jerusalem, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

“The detainees were subjected to abuse, severe beatings, and threats against their families, in addition to widespread acts of sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes,” the statement said.

The new arrests brought the number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, to 9,450, according to Palestinian figures.

Separately, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs accused Israel of waging a "war of starvation" against women prisoners in its custody.

Women detainees endure "hunger strikes, food deprivation, and lack of medical treatment, alongside physical and psychological abuse during strip searches, and ongoing threats against their families,” it said in a statement.

According to the commission, there are currently 78 female prisoners in Israeli custody, with 71 held in the Damon Prison, including three from the Gaza Strip.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 37,800 victims since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 553 Palestinians have since been killed including 133 children and nearly 5,300 injured by Israeli army fire in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi