Israeli forces arrest at least 20 Palestinians in West Bank raids

Israeli forces arrest at least 20 Palestinians in West Bank raids Israeli forces have arrested at least 20 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, since Tuesday evening, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society. The group said those detained included five women: Jamila Abu Dahou and Jamila Kanaan from Ramallah, released prisoner Maysar Al-Faqih, Faten Hanaysheh from Nablus and Ataf Bader from Hebron. Israeli forces also arrested journalist Hassan Abdel Jawad from Bethlehem, it added. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said Israel has sharply escalated arrests and field interrogations since the start of the Gaza genocide in October 2023, targeting different sections of Palestinian society as part of a policy of collective punishment and revenge. It said Palestinian women face growing targeting through arrest campaigns, including detentions used as hostage-taking, night raids on homes and harsh interrogation methods. The group also said Israeli forces have increasingly arrested women. It said the number of Palestinian women held in Israeli prisons has risen to 99. The number of Palestinian journalists held in Israeli prisons has also risen to 42, including two who have been subjected to enforced disappearance, the group said.