Israel arrests 380 Palestinians in occupied West Bank since Gaza cease-fire: Rights group

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army has detained 380 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the start of the Gaza cease-fire agreement on January 19, a prisoners’ affairs group has stated.

The Palestinian Prisoner Society said that the highest number of arrests were reported in the northern city of Jenin and its refugee camp where 110 people were taken into custody.

According to the group, 22 people were also rounded up in the city of Tubas and 20 others in Tulkarem.

On January 21, the Israeli army launched an assault on Jenin city and its refugee camp, killing at least 25 Palestinians. The offensive was later expanded to include the city of Tulkarem, where four Palestinians were killed.

The new arrests brought the number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since October 2023 to over 14,300, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.

The figure does not include those arrested from the Gaza Strip whose numbers are estimated to be in the thousands.

Israel follows the controversial policy of administrative detention, according to which arrests can be made on the basis of suspicion without warrant, bail or access to trial, for indefinite durations.

The Israeli escalation in the West Bank came after the Gaza cease-fire took hold on January 19 following 15 months of Israel’s genocidal war that killed over 47,500 Palestinians and reduced the enclave to rubble.

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, at least 905 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers, according to the Health Ministry.