Israeli army detains 45 Palestinians, including 2 journalists, in West Bank raids

The Israeli army detained at least 45 Palestinians, including five women and two journalists, in raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, said the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society. The organization said in a statement that most of the arrests took place in Nablus and Hebron, with others in Qalqilya, Tulkarem and Bethlehem. Among those detained was journalist Hazem Nasser, who was rearrested just two weeks after his release. In Jenin, Israeli forces detained and questioned several Palestinians on the spot before releasing them, the organization said.

It said the arrests of women and journalists along with the rearrest of a recently released prisoner showed that Israeli forces were targeting a wider cross-section of Palestinian society. It said troops regularly raid homes and hold residents for hours for questioning, intimidating families before releasing many of those detained. The organization also reported physical assaults, vandalism and harsh conditions during detention and questioning.

It said it had recorded more than 26,000 arrests across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since Israel launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.