HEBRON, Friday, May 5, 2023 (WAFA) – Israeli forces today detained eight Palestinians in multiple raids across the occupied West Bank districts of Hebron and Jenin, according to security sources.
They said that Israeli forces showed up at a house in al-Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron, broke inside and conducted a thorough search, leaving behind destruction before rounding up a father along with his son.
The gun-toting soldiers also rounded up two others from the city of Hebron.
Meanwhile, the sources confirmed a raid into Kafr Ra'i town, southwest of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, resulting in the detention of two others.
The heavily-armed soldiers barged their way into Qabatiya city, south of Jenin, and detained another after ransacking his family house.
This came as the soldiers manning al-Hamra checkpoint in Jericho district stopped and detained another, identified as a resident of Jenin refugee camp.
Israeli forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost on a daily basis across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for "wanted" Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.
These raids, which take place also in areas under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, are conducted with no need for a search warrant, whenever and wherever the military chooses in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.
Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.
According to the latest figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, there are currently 4,900 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 160 children and 30 female prisoners.
This number includes 1,016 Palestinians placed under “administrative detention”, that allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.
Mass arrest of Palestinians is nothing new. According to a 2017 report by Addameer, over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel, this figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million. This means that about 40% of Palestinian men and boys living under military occupation have been deprived of their freedom. Almost every Palestinian family has suffered the imprisonment of a loved one.
K.F.
