Israel arrests 35 more Palestinians in West Bank military raids

RAMALLAH, Palestine

At least 35 more Palestinians were detained in Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

A woman was among the detainees in the raids that targeted most cities of the West Bank, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

“The arrests were marked by attacks on houses and threats against families of the detainees,” the statement said.

The new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since October last year to over 10,900, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.

The figure doesn't 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 717 Palestinians have since been killed and over 5,750 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, 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.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar