Israeli Army Detains Over 100 Palestinians in West Bank Since Feb. 18

(MENAFN) More than 100 Palestinians have been swept up in Israeli military detention operations across the occupied West Bank since the start of Ramadan, a leading Palestinian rights organization disclosed Sunday, with women and children counted among those taken into custody.

The arrests began when Ramadan commenced on Feb. 18 across most West Bank provinces, including East Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society, which detailed the detentions in a formal statement.

The group painted a grim picture of the arrests, describing them as marked by "severe beating, organized acts of terrorism against detainees and their families, along with widespread sabotage and destruction of citizens' homes, and confiscation of vehicles, money, and gold jewelry."

The disclosures arrive against a backdrop of mounting concern over conditions inside Israeli detention facilities. Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations report that more than 9,300 Palestinians are currently imprisoned in Israeli jails — among them 350 children — where detainees reportedly endure torture, deliberate food deprivation, and denial of medical care, conditions that have been linked to dozens of deaths.

Israel has dramatically stepped up operations across the occupied West Bank since launching its military offensive in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. In the period since, at least 1,117 Palestinians have lost their lives and approximately 11,500 others have sustained injuries in attacks carried out by both the military and illegal settlers operating in the territory.

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