Israeli army arrests 25 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army detained 25 more Palestinians on Tuesday in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

The raids targeted the cities of Jenin, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron and other areas in the territory, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

“The arrests were marked by attacks on homes and threats against families of the detainees,” the statement said.

The new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians rounded up by the Israeli army in the West Bank since October last year to 10,900, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.

The figure does not include those arrested from the Gaza Strip, whose numbers are estimated to be in thousands.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

At least 716 Palestinians have since been killed and over 5,750 others injured by Israeli army fire 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 "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara