In 130 days, 'Israel' detained 7,000+ Palestinians in West Bank

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Feb 2024 00:09
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The cumulative number of arrests in the West Bank since October 7 has risen to over 7000.

Israeli occupation forces detain a Palestinian youth in the city of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank on September 29, 2022. (AFP)

Over 7,000 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank since the commencement of the extensive Israeli aggression against Palestinians 130 days ago.

The shocking revelation was made in a joint statement by the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), and the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.

The joint statement added that approximately 220 women are among the total number of detainees, in addition to more than 440 children.

📹A large force of the Israeli occupation army arrests a child from the town of #BeitUmmar, north of #Hebron.#WestBank #Palestine pic.twitter.com/R4IL2N0DnG
— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) February 10, 2024

Moreover, the Israeli occupation arrested 53 journalists, with 36 still in detention, and subjected 21 others to administrative detention, the statement added.

In further detail, the administrative detention orders exceeded 3,490, encompassing cases involving children and women, with orders ranging from new to renewed, the statement stressed.

The statement further highlighted that the continuous detention efforts coincide with escalating offenses and violations. These include brutal beatings and threats against detainees and their families, as well as widespread sabotage and destruction of Palestinian homes.

A group of violations, abuse, terrorism, arrests, destruction, and theft in the West Bank. - Israeli soldier Liad Obada says in the first clip from Ramallah, “Whoever needs sabotage, we are here,” and then he posted a selfie of himself arresting an unarmed citizen in Bethlehem. https://t.co/cT9RbvYVYn
— A.K Mohsin (@ak_mohsin) February 12, 2024

Additionally, Israeli occupation forces seized vehicles, money, and gold jewelry during the arrests. The attacks also involve extensive destruction operations impacting infrastructure, particularly in Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, as well as Jenin and its refugee camp.

The statement clarified that the aftermath of the detention campaigns since October 7 encompasses individuals detained from their residences, at military checkpoints, those compelled to surrender under duress, and those taken hostage.

Apart from the detention efforts, the occupation forces conducted on-field executions targeting members of the detainees' families, as per the statement.

After photos and videos surfaced on social media depicting a number of Palestinian detainees stripped naked and blindfolded while being taken to the “Sde Teman” Israeli camp, located between Beer al-Sabe’ and #Gaza, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor released a report describing… pic.twitter.com/N4agftLqu2
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 27, 2023

Palestinian detainees killed under torture

Following October 7, at least eight Palestinian detainees were reportedly killed in Israeli prisons under torture. Omar Daraghmeh from Tubas, Arafat Hamdan from Ramallah, Majid Zaqoul from Gaza, an unidentified fourth prisoner, Abd al-Rahman Mar’i from Salfit, Thaer Abu Assab from Qalqilya, Abdul-Rahman al-Bahsh from Nablus, and Mohammed al-Sabbar from al-Khalil were all martyred in Israeli imprisonment. It should be noted that Israeli media have recently revealed information suggesting the killing of additional detainees from Gaza in the "Sde Teman" camp in Beer al-Sabe'.

As of now, the Israeli occupation persists in withholding any information regarding the fate of Gaza detainees, as stated in the announcement. The IOF acknowledged the execution of one detainee and additional data point to the execution of other detainees from Gaza.

The statement noted that the information about the detention cases encompasses individuals currently held, along with those who have been subsequently released.

"Israel" continues to withhold information on the number of detainees from Gaza, with accusations of committing the crime of enforced disappearance against them, as per the statement.

The overall count of detainees in occupation prisons exceeded 9,000 by the end of January, encompassing 3,484 administrative detainees and 606 Palestinians from Gaza classified as "unlawful combatants". These figures are the only ones disclosed by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS).