Israel detains 32 Palestinians in West Bank raids

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL (AA) – Israeli forces detained 32 Palestinians from towns in the occupied West Bank, including East Jeruslaem, in military raids on Thursday, according to a prisoners’ advocacy group.

The arrests included a child, a former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and several previously released prisoners, the Prisoners’ Media Office said.

Among those detained were former legislator Hatem Qafisha from the Hebron governorate in the southern West Bank, as well as a child and former prisoners, the office added.

The raids involved home searches and damage to personal property during Israeli incursions into multiple areas, the statement said.

The escalation in arrests, particularly targeting children, former prisoners and elected lawmakers, reflects the continued use of detention as a tool of repression and collective punishment, the office said.

Israel has intensified its military operations in the West Bank since launching its war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023, including killings, arrests, forced displacement and settlement expansion, a trajectory Palestinians say is aimed at paving the way for the formal annexation of the occupied territory.

More than 1,112 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, about 11,500 wounded, and more than 21,000 detained during that period, according to Palestinian estimates.

*Writing by Lina Altawell