Israel arrested 1,228 Palestinians in April

The Israeli army arrested 1,228 Palestinians, including 165 children and 11 women, during April, a number of Palestinian institutions have revealed in a joint statement.

The Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the Wadi Hilweh Information Centre – Jerusalem reported that the Israeli authorities launched a massive arrest campaign leading to the highest rate of arrests since the beginning of this year. Most of the arrests took place in Jerusalem, with 793 Palestinians detained, including 139 children.

Moreover, the organisations pointed out that Israel has issued 154 administrative detention orders with neither charge nor trial, including 68 new orders.

“The arrests were accompanied by grave violations against the detainees and their families, including violations after their transfer to investigation and detention centres,” the joint statement revealed. “They also recorded various levels of injuries among the detainees, including severe injuries suffered by the detainees as a result of being shot by the Israeli army.”

Furthermore, Israel committed the war crime of collective punishment by destroying the homes of prisoners’ families.

There are now around 4,700 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, including 170 children and 32 women. Around 600 Palestinians are being held in administrative detention.

READ: Israel interrogators sleep-deprived, tortured Palestinian detainee, Shin Bet review finds