“Israel” Arrests More than 5,000 Palestinians in West Bank in 8 Months

By Staff, Agencies

“Israeli” occupation forces have arrested more than 5,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club [PPC] made the announcement in a statement on Tuesday, saying the occupation forces arrested 200 citizens across the West Bank within a week, which brought to 5,100 the total number of Palestinians arrested since the start of 2023.

The statement said the arrests were made in the cities of Al-Khalil, Nablus, Ramallah and Jenin.

Palestinian Shehab news agency said the detainees were kept in 23 “Israeli” jails and detention and investigation centers. Among the 5,100 Palestinians are 1,200 administrative detainees, 32 female prisoners and 180 minor children, in addition to 700 sick prisoners.

“The arrests were accompanied by violations and attacks against the prisoners and their families, in addition to the large material losses inside their homes, as a result of vandalism,” the statement added.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said the arrests left “dangerous” impacts on the detainees and their families, adding that some families had more than one member in jail.

The statement said the “Israeli” entity had raised the number of “administrative detentions”, stressing that it has recently started targeting a new generation of Palestinians, including children.

Under its policy of administrative detention, the occupying entity detains Palestinians without trial or charge for up to six months; a period which can be extended for an indefinite number of times.

The detention takes place on the orders of a military commander and on the basis of what the entity describes as “secret” evidence. Some prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.

According to the United Nations, 2023 is already the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since it began recording fatalities in 2005. The previous year, 2022, had been the most lethal year with 150 Palestinians were martyred, of whom 33 were minors, as reported by the United Nations.