Israeli army rounds up 9 Palestinians in West Bank raids

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Israeli forces detained at least nine Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said.

Two teenage boys were arrested in an Israeli raid in the town of Deir Abu Mashal in the central West Bank, the nongovernmental office said in a statement.

In the northern Nablus governorate, troops detained one Palestinian after raiding his home in the town of Hawara, south of the city, and another in Asira al-Shamaliya, northwest of Nablus.

Israeli forces detained one person from the southern Hebron governorate and another from Fawwar refugee camp after raiding and searching their homes.

In Bethlehem governorate, also in the south, troops detained three young men after entering the town of Tuqu, southeast of the city.

The office said daily arrest campaigns continue across the West Bank, targeting various age groups, including minors, amid what it described as ongoing field escalation and repeated raids on towns and refugee camps. The operations often include home searches and damage to property, the office added.

The Israeli military typically does not disclose reasons for the detentions, which Israel says are part of “security campaigns” targeting individuals it considers “wanted.”

Separately, Israeli forces raided the town of Yaabad in the northern West Bank on Monday, searched several homes and detained a number of Palestinians, said Raed Abu Bakr, a local resident.

He said Israeli forces entered an event hall in the town and converted it into a field detention and interrogation center.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the report.

The Palestinian Prisoner Society NGO said Sunday that Israeli forces have detained more than 100 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on Feb. 18.

More than 9,300 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including 66 women and 350 children, Palestinian data showed.

Israeli violence has surged in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, killing more than 1,116 Palestinians, wounding about 11,500 others and resulting in roughly 22,000 detentions, according to Palestinian figures.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul