Israeli army arrests 20 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli army forces detained 20 more Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups on Tuesday.

The arrests took place in the cities of East Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tubas, and Nablus, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a joint statement.

The new arrests brought to 8,165 Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since last October, according to Palestinian figures.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7.

At least 459 Palestinians have since been killed and around 4,750 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza, where more than 33,300 people have been killed.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar