Israeli army detains 16 more Palestinians from areas in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army on Tuesday detained 16 more Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups.

The arrests took place in the cities of Jenin, Tubas, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, and Hebron, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The Israeli forces assaulted and threatened the detainees and their family members, and vandalized their homes, the statement added.

The new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since October last year to 9,970, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.

The statement noted that the figure does not include those arrested from the Gaza Strip whose numbers are estimated to be in the 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 611 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 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.