Israel Detains Forty Palestinians in West Bank Raids

(MENAFN) Israeli forces arrested 40 Palestinians, including two women, during pre-dawn raids across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office reported.

The operations focused on areas in northern Qalqilya, central Ramallah, southern Hebron, and East Jerusalem. Troops conducted house searches and inspections across multiple neighborhoods.

The office accused Israel of pursuing a policy of “escalated mass arrests,” targeting former prisoners, women, and minors, particularly in northern and central West Bank regions. These actions are part of repeated large-scale raids amid heightened military activity.

Since the start of the Israeli conflict in Gaza on October 8, 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have intensified attacks in the West Bank, including killings, arrests, home demolitions, forced displacement, and settlement expansion. Palestinian authorities report at least 1,121 deaths, around 11,700 injuries, and roughly 22,000 detentions since then.

Palestinians warn that these measures aim to advance Israeli annexation of the West Bank, undermining the possibility of a Palestinian state as recognized by United Nations resolutions. The international community and the UN regard the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as occupied territory, and Israeli settlement activity there is considered illegal under international law.

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