RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army on Saturday detained 12 more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

According to a joint statement issued by the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, the new arrests brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since Oct. 7 to 6,500.

The latest arrests took place mostly in the Dheisheh camp in Bethlehem, while the rest took place in the governorates of Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, and Tulkarm.

During the Israeli arrest campaigns, soldiers also beat, abused, and interrogated several Palestinians, as well as damaged their homes and other properties, the statement noted.

In their annual report, both groups said there were 8,800 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails as of Dec. 31, 2023, including 80 women.

Official Israeli data transmitted by the Israeli Human Rights Defense Center HaMoked on Thursday revealed the presence of about 9,000 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including administrative detainees.

Tensions have been high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas in which Israel says 1,200 Israelis were killed.

At least 27,238 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 66,452 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi