Israel arrests dozens of Palestinians in overnight West Bank raids

The Israeli military has recently expanded its military operations in the occupied West Bank, arresting dozens of Palestinians. According to reports from the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, at least 50 people were arrested in overnight raids. The Palestinian news agency Wafa cited the reports from these two organizations on Wednesday, highlighting the increased tensions.

Wafa's report indicated that the Israeli military arrested individuals for interrogation in the governorates of Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho, and Tubas. The Palestinian Prisoner Media Office stated on Wednesday that, as part of the operations, Israeli forces raided the Majid Abu Sharar School in Dura, near Hebron, and arrested two students. This demonstrates the widespread nature of the arrests and their impact on the educational sector.

Palestinian organizations state that since October 2023, the number of Palestinians detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank has exceeded 14,500, including those who were later released. This figure does not include those arrested from the Gaza Strip, estimated to number in the thousands. The mass detentions occur amidst heightened Israeli military offensives in the West Bank, which began a month after a ceasefire agreement was reached in Gaza, raising concerns about the stability of the region.

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), stated on Wednesday that the occupied West Bank has now become a "battleground" facing a "shocking spillover" from the Gaza war. Concurrently, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to residents of the Nur Shams camp, east of Tulkarm, prior to planned demolitions of 11 residential buildings. Wafa reported that Israeli forces gave residents only three hours to evacuate their homes, and many families were seen leaving with what few belongings they could carry, illustrating the urgency and displacement caused by the orders.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stated that Israel's actions are a continuation of "genocide, displacement, and annexation" against the Palestinian people. The Palestinian Authority condemned the repeated obstruction of ambulance passage in the West Bank by Israeli forces, accusing them of violating international humanitarian law. The PA's governing body said that more trouble is expected with the approach of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, and warned that Israeli authorities are preparing to "implement unprecedented oppressive policies" to further isolate occupied East Jerusalem and its Palestinian surroundings. Allegedly, Israel will restrict the number of Muslim worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The military has deployed 3,000 armed personnel at checkpoints around East Jerusalem and reinforced control over 82 military checkpoints, signaling increased security measures and potential restrictions on religious freedom.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that at least 924 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, with over 7,000 injured. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and called for the withdrawal of all existing settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, underscoring the international community's concerns regarding the ongoing conflict and its legal ramifications.