Israel arrests 35 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

By Aysar Alais

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces rounded up at least 35 more Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups on Sunday.

The detainees were taken into custody in raids carried out in most cities of the occupied territory over the past 48 hours, 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 to 10,400 since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 692 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,700 others injured in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi