Israeli army raids West Bank cities, arrests 15 more Palestinians

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army detained 15 more Palestinians on Thursday in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

A woman was among the detainees in the raids that targeted the cities of East Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Nablus, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The new arrests brought to 8,550 Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since last October, according to Palestinian figures.

Witnesses said clashes erupted when Israeli forces raided the Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah.

At least one Palestinian was reportedly injured in the violence.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 34,500 people after a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 492 Palestinians have since been killed and around 4,900 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.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara