Israel rearrests Palestinian woman freed under November swap deal, bringing total to 24

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army rearrested a Palestinian woman, who was released in a prisoner exchange deal last November, bringing the total number of freed detainees arrested by Israel to 24, a prisoners’ affairs group said on Monday.

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said Dania Hanatsha, a former detainee and student at Birzeit University, was arrested from her family's home in Al-Bireh in the central West Bank.

With Hanatsha's arrest, the total number of freed detainees under the November swap deal has risen to 24, with 18 remaining in detention, including six minors and six women.

“Some of the rearrested Palestinians have been placed under administrative detention, including minors and two women,” the group said.

“The targeting of former prisoners and freed detainees is one of the long-standing policies of the Israeli occupation,” it added.

In November, 240 women and children were freed under a prisoner swap deal with Israel under which several Israeli hostages held by Hamas were released.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 40,130 people since Oct. 7, 2023, following a Hamas attack.

At least 635 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

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

*Writing by Mohammad Sio