Israeli army arrests 26 more Palestinians in raids across West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Israeli forces detained 26 more Palestinians overnight in raids across the occupied West Bank, prisoners' rights groups said on Monday.

Israeli soldiers made incursions into the cities of Hebron and Ramallah, the Commission of Detainee Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a joint statement.

The new arrests bring the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank to 8,800 since last October, according to Palestinian figures.

Earlier on Monday morning, the Israeli army raided several cities and towns across the occupied West Bank, arresting over a dozen Palestinians, with clashes reported in some localities during which soldiers fired live bullets and tear gas shells at residents, according to eyewitnesses.

Israeli forces stormed the cities of Ramallah, Al-Bireh, and Qalqilya, as well as towns in Hebron and Bethlehem, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

Scores of Palestinians clashed with the Israeli army, which used live fire and tear gas at residents, eyewitnesses said, adding that Palestinian gunmen also traded fire with Israeli soldiers in the city of Qalqilya.

In Ramallah, the Israeli army raided several neighborhoods and arrested at least one Palestinian.

According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli army carried out large-scale arrests in Hebron, detaining at least 14 Palestinians.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, where more than 35,400 people have been killed following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

More than 500 Palestinians have since been killed and around 5,000 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul