Israel arrests 78 Palestinians in less than 24 hours in occupied West Bank

Israeli occupation forces arrested at least 78 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, including seventeen young women from Hebron, according to a joint statement issued by the Palestinian Commission for Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs, and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.

The arrests were carried out mainly in the Hebron governorate, while the rest were distributed across the governorates of Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus and Jerusalem.

The arrest campaign was accompanied by widespread abuse, brutal beatings, confiscation of phones, threats against the detainees and their families, and the extensive sabotage and destruction of Palestinian homes. Soldiers’ intimidation of the Palestinians reached the point of direct threats to shoot them.

The two organisations confirmed that the Israeli occupation authorities appear to have made the targeting of students one of the most systematic and consistent of their policies. The escalation of the unprecedented arrest campaigns across all sectors includes the targeting of students in Palestinian universities.

The latest arrests bring the total number since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October to more than 2,650, with people being arrested at homes and at military checkpoints. The data related to the arrests includes those who remain in custody as well as those who were subsequently released.

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