Jerusalem: Israeli occupation forces detained at least seven Palestinians from the occupied West Bank governorates of Jenin and Jericho on Wednesday evening and night, eyewitnesses reported. The detentions are part of ongoing operations in the region, which have resulted in significant casualties and unrest.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the occupation forces apprehended four Palestinians from the Jenin refugee camp, including two women who are the mothers of slain Palestinians and two youths. This operation is part of a broader offensive in Jenin that has already claimed the lives of 10 Palestinians and injured approximately 40 others on Tuesday.
In Jericho, confrontations erupted as the occupation forces raided the city. The soldiers, armed with live ammunition and bombs, clashed with local young protestors and detained one individual. Additionally, a privately-owned truck was confiscated from the al-Murashahat area, located south of Jericho.
In a related incident in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Governorate confirmed via a press release that two youths were detained from the Silwan neighborhood. These arrests occurred during a series of raids conducted by the occupation forces across the occupied West Bank, which resulted in the detention of 25 Palestinians in the early hours of the morning.
The Israeli occupation forces' raids are a regular occurrence, often carried out under the pretext of searching for 'wanted' Palestinians. These operations frequently lead to clashes with local residents and are conducted without the need for a search warrant, in line with the military's extensive powers.
Under Israeli military law, army commanders wield full executive, legislative, and judicial authority over the 3 million Palestinians residing in the West Bank. Palestinians have no control over the exercise of this authority.
According to Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, there are currently 10,400 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 320 child prisoners and 88 female prisoners. This figure includes around 3,376 Palestinians held under 'administrative detention', which permits detention without charge or trial based on undisclosed evidence.
The mass detention of Palestinians is longstanding, with Addameer's 2017 report highlighting that over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel. This figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million, meaning that about 40% of Palestinian men and boys under military occupation have experienced imprisonment. Almost every Palestinian family has endured the imprisonment of a loved one.
