By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army arrested 55 Palestinians in various areas of the West Bank on Sunday, bringing the total number of detainees since last weekend to 455, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club.
“Israeli forces arrested 55 Palestinians from cities and towns in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” club spokesperson Amani Farajneh told Anadolu.
The Israeli army has arrested more than 455 Palestinians since Oct. 7, coinciding with the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, Farajneh added.
There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the group’s statement.
An Anadolu correspondent also monitored an arrest campaign carried out by the Israeli army in the Al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah in the West Bank.
Israel has a total of 5,800 Palestinians detained its prisons, according to the Prisoners’ Club.
In a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, last weekend Israeli forces launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.
Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering over 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the south.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi