Israel detains at least 130 Palestinians in sweeping West Bank arrest campaign

Israeli forces detained at least 130 Palestinians in a wide-ranging arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank, a prisoners' affairs group said on Wednesday.

The campaign covered most West Bank governorates, with a heavy focus on the north, including Burin and Madama near Nablus, Aqqaba in Tubas, and Immatin in Qalqilya, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement. Two women, a child and former prisoners were among the detainees.

Many Palestinians were subjected to on-the-spot questioning and later released, while others were taken into custody, the group added.

Israeli forces have intensified arrests and field interrogations since the start of the year, at an unprecedented pace following the Gaza war, the group said, describing the campaign as part of a policy of collective punishment targeting broad segments of Palestinian society.

It said troops routinely force residents out of their homes during raids, carry out property damage and intimidation, and conduct interrogations outdoors amid cold weather conditions.

"These violations extend a longstanding pattern aimed at suppressing Palestinian presence through coercive measures," the group said, adding that the most notable shift since the Gaza war has been the sharp rise in the scale and severity of abuses accompanying arrests, as well as violations against detainees inside prisons and detention facilities.

More than 21,000 arrest cases have been recorded in the West Bank since October 2023, with Israeli forces carrying out near-daily raids in the occupied territory, the group said.

According to Palestinian figures, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and injured nearly 11,000 others since October 2023.

The International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in a landmark opinion in July 2024, and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.