Israeli army detains 20 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army on Saturday detained 20 more Palestinians in various areas of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

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 6,305.

The latest arrests took place in the governorates of Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, Jericho, and East Jerusalem.

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 which Israel says killed 1,200 Israelis.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 373 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since Oct. 7, with over 4,300 others injured.

In the Gaza Strip, at least 26,257 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 64,797 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi