Israel detains 20 more Palestinians in West Bank, bringing total arrests since Oct. 7 to 7,605

By Awad Rajoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army during its incursion across the occupied West Bank on Saturday detained at least 20 more Palestinians, including former detainees.

According to a joint statement from the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the new arrests bring the total number of Palestinians detained by Israeli forces since Oct. 7, 2023, to 7,605.

Most of the arrests occurred in Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, Tulkarm, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem.

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

According to figures by the two rights groups, the total number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails exceeds 9,000, including 3,484 held under administrative detention without trial or charge, 200 children, and 70 women.

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 434 Palestinians from the West Bank have been killed by the Israeli forces and settlers since Oct. 7, in addition to over 4,700 others injured.

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

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi