Ramallah: Over 23,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, following the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza in October 2023.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society reported that the figures include all individuals who were detained, whether they remain in detention or were later released. This encompasses those detained from their homes, at military checkpoints, those who surrendered under pressure, or those taken as hostages.
The report highlighted that the detentions of women have surpassed 700 cases, including Palestinian women detained from both Israel and Gaza, as well as those detained in the West Bank. The number of children detained has reached approximately 1,800 cases.
The report further noted that over 240 journalists have been detained since the conflict began, with 43 still in detention, including three women journalists. Among them, journalist Marwan Harzallah from Nablus died while in Israeli custody.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society indicated that the ongoing detention campaigns are accompanied by escalating violations, including severe beatings, intimidation of detainees and their families, widespread destruction and vandalism of homes, and seizure of vehicles, money, and gold jewelry. There has also been extensive damage to infrastructure, particularly in the refugee camps of Tulkarm and Jenin.
Additionally, the report mentioned that the detention campaigns are accompanied by field executions in some cases, including members of detainees' families. There has also been an increase in field interrogations affecting thousands across various governorates in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.
