By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army on Wednesday detained 18 more Palestinians from different areas across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
According to a joint statement issued by the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the new arrests bring the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since Oct. 7 to nearly 7,020.
During Israeli soldiers’ incursions into the cities of Hebron, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho, and East Jerusalem, they roughed up and abused Palestinians while also damaging their homes and property, the statement added.
Tensions have been high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least, 394 Palestinians from the West Bank have been killed by the Israeli forces and settlers since Oct. 7, in addition to over 4,440 others injured.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January 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