Israeli army detains 23 Palestinians in West Bank raids

By Awad al-Rajoub
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli army forces rounded up 23 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the occupied West Bank.

The arrests took place in the cities of Hebron, Salfit, Nablus, Jenin and Ramallah, the Palestinian state news agency Wafa reported.

Usually, arrests are made by storming the homes of detainees and taking them blindfolded and handcuffed to detention centers before they are transferred to the Israeli prisons or interrogation centers.

In a related context, the Commission of Detainees Affairs said detainees held under Israel’s administrative detention policy continued to boycott court sessions for the 54th consecutive day, in protest of their detention.

Administrative detention is a jail term by a confidential file for a period of up to 6 months and can be renewed without a limit.

In January, the number of Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli prisons were estimated at around 4,500, including 34 female prisoners, 180 minors and about 500 administrative detainees, according to Palestinian statistics.