Over 3,300 Palestinians arrested in West Bank since October 7
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The arrests take place during home raids and at military checkpoints, involving Palestinians who either surrendered under pressure or were taken as hostages, as per local Palestinian NGOs.
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Israeli occupation soldiers detain a Palestinian youth in Bab al-Zawiya area in the Palestinian city of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank on September 29, 2022. (AFP)
Israeli occupation forces arrested 3,390 Palestinians including children across the occupied West Bank since October 7, 260 during temporary pauses, according to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Thursday.
The arrests occurred during home raids and at military checkpoints, involving Palestinians who either surrendered under pressure or were taken as hostages, as stated in a joint statement by the Palestinian Prisoners Club and the Commission of Detainees and ex-Detainees Affairs, Anadolu news agency reported.
🎥 IOF arrest a Palestinian child from Aqabat Jabr after arresting his father to force the boy to surrender
— تمار 🌴 Тама́р 🌴 תמר (@tamars) November 29, 2023
Palestinian Prisoners Club: IOF arrested at least 35 Palestinians from last night until this morning. It was not possible to confirm yet who remains in Israeli custody pic.twitter.com/6jQTefK3XE
On Thursday alone, thirty arrests were documented, with the total number of arrests from Wednesday to Thursday night reaching 40, the NGOs reported.
This is not to mention the raids the Israeli occupation forces regularly conduct in the West Bank, cracking down and detaining even more Palestinians unlawfully, in frequent mass arrest campaigns. The vast majority appears to be detained in administrative detention, a type of confinement without accusation or trial that authorities can extend indefinitely, which is, of course, against international law.
Israeli soldiers arresting a Palestinian child in the West Bank - Why is the world silent? pic.twitter.com/Hpxr10oL7v
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) November 29, 2023
During the arrest campaigns, Israeli forces engaged in widespread acts of torture, brutal beatings, and threats against detainees and their families. Additionally, there were extensive incidents of vandalism and destruction in Palestinian homes, as reported by the NGOs.
A 'new Nakba' is ongoing in the West Bank alongside a genocide in Gaza
As the Israeli genocide in Gaza is ongoing, it might seem inappropriate to shift focus to the relatively smaller but troubling settlers' violence and IOF's terrorism in the occupied West Bank. However, it would be a mistake to underestimate the dangers posed by the recent surge in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
This seems to be a strategic calculation made by "Israel" to expand its illegal settlements and steal more Palestinian land. Reports indicate a notable increase in the number of Palestinians forcibly displaced or killed since Oct. 7. The occupation seems to be fully aware that the diverting global and Israeli attention from the West Bank provides cover for more land usurpation in the area.
At the beginning of this month, the 150 residents of Khirbet Zanuta have been forcibly displaced once again. At the time, armed settlers, some of whom were dressed in reserve army uniforms and others concealing their identities, started to break into their homes during the night, assaulting adults, vandalizing and looting possessions, and traumatizing their children.
It is worth noting that United Nations data have lately indicated that a minimum of 247 Palestinians, including children, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli occupation forces since October 7.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, "Israel" has killed at least 15,000, including more than 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, as per the Government Media Office in Gaza. At the conclusion of the truce, the genocide against Palestinians was resumed, resulting in the killing of at least 37 Palestinians within three hours.
Read next: In new violence surge, Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in W. Bank
