Israel arrests 36 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

RAMALLAH, Palestine

At least 36 more Palestinians were rounded up by Israeli forces in military raids in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

A journalist and four students were among the detainees, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

“The detainees were subjected to abuse, severe beatings, and threats against their families, in addition to widespread acts of sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes,” the statement said.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 676 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,600 injured and 10,400 others detained in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi