Israel arrests 26 Palestinians in West Bank raids

By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli army forces detained 26 Palestinians, including a senior Hamas member, in overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, according to local media on Monday.

The state news agency Wafa said most of the raids took place in the towns of Azzum and Surra, west of Qalqilya.

Among the detainees was senior Hamas member Khalid Abu al-Baha, who was arrested in the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, Wafa said.

The raids triggered clashes with angry Palestinian residents, with Israeli forces using tear gas canisters to disperse protesters, according to eyewitnesses.

The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

Palestinian NGOs estimated that there are around 4,500 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, with at least 500 held under the Israeli administrative detention policy without charge or trial.

*Writing by Bassel Barakat