By Awad Rjoob
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) — The Israeli army on Sunday detained 15 more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including three children.
According to a joint statement by the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, the latest arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since Oct. 7, 2023 to 8,495.
The arrests took place mostly in Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Jenin, Tubas, Salfit, Jericho, and Jerusalem.
Israeli forces beat and abused Palestinians and damaged their homes and property while making the arrests, the statement also said.
Amid its war on Gaza, ongoing since Oct. 7, the Israeli army escalated raids and arrests in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 491 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since Oct. 7.
The destructive war on Gaza has resulted in nearly 34,400 deaths and injuries, most of them children and women, along with massive destruction and a famine that claimed the lives of children and elderly, according to Palestinian and international data.
Israel continues this war despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. Tel Aviv is also facing charges of committing "genocide" before the International Court of Justice.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi