Ramallah, West Bank — The Israeli military detained 28 Palestinians in a string of nighttime raids across various districts in the occupied West Bank, escalating tensions in a region already marred by growing violence. These operations, described by the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, struck areas including Jenin, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, and Jerusalem.
The rights group reported harsh tactics during these raids, with Israeli forces allegedly administering severe beatings and threatening detainees’ families. The actions are part of what has been described as an intensified campaign against Palestinian areas, coinciding with the ongoing military conflict in Gaza that commenced last October.
Violence in the West Bank has been on the rise, with the recent months seeing an uptick in military raids on Palestinian factions, reprisals by Jewish settlers, and deadly attacks by Palestinians on Israeli streets. According to reports, Israel has significantly stepped up its raids, resulting in an increased number of detentions and a 25 percent rise in house demolitions compared to the previous year, displacing over a thousand Palestinians.
In Jenin, a flashpoint in recent confrontations, nine Palestinians were taken into custody. Clashes erupted during a military operation that also involved the destruction of infrastructure by Israeli bulldozers in both the city and its refugee camp. The Israeli army faced resistance, with Palestinian militants targeting armored vehicles using explosives, leading to the death of one Israeli soldier and injuring 16 others.
The intensity of the conflict was highlighted by a dual explosion during the Jenin operation; the first explosion caused injuries, while the second was fatal for the Israeli soldier. Initial reports suggested the explosive devices were buried deep enough to evade detection by standard Israeli military procedures.
In response to the ongoing conflict, Israel’s military operations in the West Bank have surged, with the total number of arrests reaching 9,430 since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. The operations have continued relentlessly, almost on a daily basis.
Human rights concerns have been voiced at the international level. Early this month, Volker Turk, the United Nations’ human rights chief, cited a severe deterioration in the situation in the West Bank, referring to it as a scene of “unprecedented bloodshed.”
Separately, in Hebron, an overnight operation resulted in the arrests of four more Palestinians, including a female university student. Additional reports from Qalandiya and Deir Ghassana indicated further targeted operations by Israeli forces against individual residents, including incidents where suspects were shot before being detained.
As tensions persist, the international community remains watchful, with many advocating for de-escalation and calling for respect for human rights to prevent further loss of life and stability in the region. As the situation continues to evolve, the actions and responses from both Israeli and Palestinian sides are closely monitored by global observers and local stakeholders alike.