15 more Palestinians detained in occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem

ANKARA (AA) – The Israeli army detained 15 more Palestinians during raids across the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

This brought the total number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli forces since October 7 to 6,940, the Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a joint statement.

According to the statement, the majority of the detentions took place in Ramallah, Tulkarm, Nablus, Jericho, and Jerusalem.

Israeli forces also beat, abused and interrogated several Palestinians, and damaged their homes and other properties, it added.

In their annual report, both groups said there were 8,800 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails as of December 31, 2023, including 80 women.

Last week, official Israeli data transmitted by the Israeli Human Rights Defense Center HaMoked revealed the presence of about 9,000 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including administrative detainees.

Administrative detention is a controversial Israeli policy of arresting people on the basis of suspicion, without an actual charge. The arrests are made for an indefinite period and provide no access to a trial.

Tensions have been high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive in the Gaza Strip which has killed at least 27,947 Palestinians, including 12,000 children and 8,190 women, since October 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.