ISTANBUL
The Israeli army arrested 14 Palestinians on Friday during raids that included home searches across multiple areas of the occupied West Bank, on the third day of Ramadan in Palestine.
The arrests concentrated in the northern governorates of Jenin, Tulkarem and Salfit, where Israeli forces detained 13 residents after raiding and searching their homes, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said.
One young man turned himself in under pressure, the statement added.
The office said daily arrest campaigns continue in cities and towns across the West Bank during Ramadan amid ongoing escalation targeting young men and students.
Amjad al-Najjar, director general of the Palestinian Prisoner Society, said Thursday that Israeli arrests in the West Bank have noticeably increased since the start of Ramadan.
"Israeli occupation arrests in the West Bank have largely escalated with the beginning of Ramadan,” Najjar told Anadolu.
According to Palestinian data, more than 9,300 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli prisons, including 350 children and 56 women. They face torture, starvation and medical neglect, which has led to the deaths of dozens.
Since the war on Gaza began on Oct. 8, 2023, Israel has intensified operations in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, through the army and illegal settlers.
These actions include killings, arrests, demolitions, displacement and settlement expansion.
Palestinians warn that the measures pave the way for Israel to formally annex the West Bank, which they say would undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state as outlined in United Nations resolutions.
Israeli operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 2023 have killed more than 1,115 Palestinians, injured about 11,500 and led to nearly 22,000 arrests.
The war in Gaza over two years has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, most of them women and children, and damaged about 90% of civilian infrastructure, according to Palestinian sources.
*Writing by Lina Altawell