Israeli forces have detained over 10,200 Palestinians from the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 7, marking an escalation in the ongoing conflict.
In the past two days alone, 35 individuals were arrested, among them children and former detainees. Notably, two young girls were taken into custody, with one being released shortly afterward.
According to a joint statement by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club and the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, these recent arrests were widespread across various West Bank governorates.
The operations were reportedly accompanied by acts of violence against detainees and their families, as well as significant property damage during the raids.
This surge in detentions is part of a broader strategy employed by Israeli forces, which has intensified amidst the ongoing military actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
The systematic arrests are seen as a continuation of Israel’s long-standing policy of collective punishment, a practice that has been widely condemned by human rights organizations and the international community.
The detentions are not isolated incidents but rather a key element of Israel’s broader military strategy in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Since the beginning of the most recent conflict, Israeli forces have intensified their arrest campaigns, often targeting individuals in mass sweeps, which have become a central aspect of their approach to controlling the population in the West Bank.
The use of arrests as a tool for collective punishment has a long history in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is used not only to quell dissent but also to instill fear among the Palestinian population.
The mass detentions have sparked widespread outrage and have further strained the already tense relations between Palestinians and Israelis.
Since the escalation on October 7, when the conflict took a dramatic turn, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated sharply.
The large-scale arrests are part of a broader Israeli military campaign, which includes frequent raids, demolitions, and the imposition of severe restrictions on movement for Palestinians.
These actions have drawn criticism from various international bodies, including the United Nations, which have called for an immediate halt to practices that violate human rights and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the region.
