150 arrests reported in West Bank, Jerusalem during first week of 2026

The Palestine Centre for Prisoner Studies has reported that Israeli occupation forces carried out 150 arrests of Palestinians during the first week of 2026, as part of an ongoing policy of escalation and repression in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

In a press statement, the centre said the arrests took place across different areas and included five women and eight children, as well as former prisoners, journalists, and several women who had previously been released in prisoner exchange deals.

The centre added that Israeli forces carried out hundreds of home raids, accompanied by wide-scale searches and damage to property. Villages, refugee camps, and Palestinian towns were also stormed, within what it described as a policy of collective punishment and systematic abuse against civilians.

According to the statement, the occupation authorities have issued 136 administrative detention orders since the beginning of the year without filing charges. The centre said this reflects a dangerous escalation in the use of this arbitrary measure, which violates international law.

In a related development, Israeli forces stormed the campus of Birzeit University, attacked a solidarity gathering in support of prisoners, confiscated media equipment, and detained the university’s vice-president. The centre said this constituted a clear violation of the sanctity of educational institutions.

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