Israelis detain dozens more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank

Israeli occupation forces have arrested dozens of Palestinians in a sweep through several towns in the occupied West Bank. The men who were arrested are members of Islamic Jihad, including senior leaders, witnesses said. The Islamic Jihad Movement in the West Bank named the senior officials as Azmi bani-Odeh, Samer al-Ghoul, Bassam Diyab, Jalal Melhem, Ibrahim al-Sweety and Mahdi Fayyad, among others.

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The Israeli arrests targeted field activists and organisers of solidarity campaigns with Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails. Nevertheless, the organisation said in a statement, it will continue with its role in standing up to Israeli aggression and supporting prisoners, especially those who have been on hunger strike for several months. “This campaign will not put an end to our activities,” said the Islamic Jihad statement.

Witnesses said that the Israeli forces swept a number of Palestinian neighbourhoods in several West Bank cities such as Hebron, Jenin and Tobas. According to the eyewitnesses, the Israeli soldiers wandered through the streets of Hebron for hours.

At the same time, the troops entered the neighbourhoods of Al-Arqa, Tamoun and Yataseer in Tobas. Patrolling for hours, Israeli soldiers fired sound bullets in the air; no casualties or detentions were reported, but they searched some houses and set up a number of checkpoints around the city.