Israel arrests 15 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army detained 15 more Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups on Monday.

A child and former prisoners were among the detainees, the Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

Most of the arrests took place in the cities of Hebron, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Jenin, Ramallah and Jerusalem, the statement said.

The new arrests brought to 7,770 Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the occupied territory since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Hamas last October.

At least 450 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 4,700 others injured by Israeli fire in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

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, where more than 32,200 people have been killed.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul