Israel detains 20 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

By Awad Rjoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army on Saturday detained at least 20 Palestinians from areas across the occupied West Bank.

According to a joint statement by the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since Oct. 7, 2023 to 8,975.

The arrests mainly took place in the cities of Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jerusalem.

During the Israeli arrest campaigns, the Israeli forces beat and abused Palestinians and damaged their homes and properties, the statement also said.

Tensions have been 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.

At least 519 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,000 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than a million displaced Palestinians had sought refuge.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi