Over 14,300 Palestinians detained by Israeli army in West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian figures
The Israeli army detained at least 35 more Palestinians in fresh military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners' affairs groups on Tuesday.
Former prisoners were among the detainees in the raids that targeted Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin, and Salfit, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.
Scores of Palestinians were interrogated by Israeli soldiers in the field before being released, the two groups said.
“The arrest campaigns came amid a massive aggression launched by the (Israeli) occupation against our people in retaliation that falls under the crime of collective punishment,” the statement said.
The new arrests brought the number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since October 2023 to over 14,300, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.
The figure does not include those arrested from the Gaza Strip whose numbers are estimated to be in the thousands.
Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.
At least 848 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,700 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
