More than 5,000 Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank since start of year: Report

The file photo by Safa News Agency shows Israeli forces arresting a Palestinian in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Israeli forces have arrested more than 5,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year, amid a surge in the regime's attacks on Palestinian towns and cities.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) made the announcement in a statement on Tuesday, saying the occupation forces arrested 200 citizens across the West Bank within a week, which brought to 5,100 the total number of Palestinians arrested since the start of 2023.

The statement said the arrests were made in the cities of al-Khalil, Nablus, Ramallah, and Jenin.

Palestinian Shehab news agency said the detainees were kept in 23 Israeli jails and detention and investigation centers. Among the 5,100 Palestinians are 1,200 administrative detainees, 32 female prisoners and 180 minor children, in addition to 700 sick prisoners.

“The arrests were accompanied by violations and attacks against the prisoners and their families, in addition to the large material losses inside their homes, as a result of vandalism,” the statement added.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said the arrests left “dangerous” impacts on the detainees and their families, adding that some families had more than one member in jail.

The statement said the Israeli regime had raised the number of "administrative" detentions, stressing that it has recently started targeting a new generation of Palestinians, including children.

Under its policy of administrative detention, the occupying regime detains Palestinians without trial or charge for up to six months; a period which can be extended for an indefinite number of times.

The detention takes place on the orders of a military commander and on the basis of what the regime describes as "secret" evidence. Some prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.

The Israeli oppression of Palestinians has witnessed a sharp rise under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist coalition cabinet, which is composed of far-right Zionist parties that oppose Palestinian statehood and support the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied lands.

Over the past months, the usurping regime has intensified attacks against Palestinian towns. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested.

According to the United Nations, 2023 is already the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since it began recording fatalities in 2005. The previous year, 2022, had been the most lethal year with 150 Palestinians killed, of whom 33 were minors, as reported by the United Nations.