365 Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in West Bank refugee camps since mid-January
LONDON: Israeli forces have detained 365 Palestinians in the occupied northern West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarem since mid-January, according to a rights group affiliated with the Palestinian Authority.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society documented the arrest of 365 people following the Israeli launch of a military campaign in Jenin on Jan. 21, just days after a ceasefire and captives-exchange deal was reached with Hamas in Gaza.
The group said that during 35 days of Israeli operations in the Jenin refugee camp, at least 200 individuals were detained, while in Tulkarem, 165 people were arrested, including children, women and the elderly.
Israeli forces deployed tanks this week to the Jenin refugee camp after displacing nearly 20,000 people, along with another 20,000 Palestinians from Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, and said it planned to keep forces in these areas 'for many months.'
The PPS said Israeli forces had turned Palestinian homes in Jenin and Tulkarem into military positions, deployed snipers on the rooftops of buildings and used bulldozers to destroy roads and infrastructure.
Some of those detained were subject to threats, beatings and field investigations, it said.
Since late 2023, nearly 900 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. At least 32 Israelis have died from Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations during the same period, according to official figures.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Trump says Iran is involved in Gaza hostage negotiations
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday Iran is involved in negotiations aimed at arranging a ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas. 'Gaza right now is in the midst of a massive negotiation between us and Hamas and Israel, and Iran actually is involved, and we'll see what's going to happen with Gaza. We want to get the hostages back,' Trump told reporters during an event in the White House State Dining Room. Trump did not elaborate and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for details of Iran's involvement. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The United States has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms but Hamas thus far has rejected the plan. Under the proposal 28 Israeli hostages — alive and dead — would be released in the first week, in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians. The United States and Iran are also separately trying to negotiate a deal on Tehran's nuclear program.
Asharq Al-Awsat
11 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Ultra-Orthodox Party Threatens Government over Draft Law
Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party on Monday threatened to bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government by backing a motion for early elections amid a row over military service. Netanyahu's coalition, one of the most right-wing in Israel's history, is at risk of collapsing over a bill that could reverse the long-standing exemption from the draft for ultra-Orthodox Jews. The exemption is facing growing pushback as Israel wages war on the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu is under pressure from within his Likud party to draft more ultra-Orthodox men and impose penalties on draft dodgers -- a red line for Shas. The party is demanding legislation to permanently exempt its followers from military service and gave Netanyahu two days to find a solution. "We don't want to bring down a right-wing government, but we've reached our limit," Shas spokesperson Asher Medina told public radio. "If there's no last-minute solution (on conscription), we'll vote to dissolve the Knesset," he said, referring to the Israeli parliament. Last week, a Shas source told AFP the party was threatening to quit the coalition unless a solution was reached by Monday. The opposition is seeking to place a bill to dissolve parliament on Wednesday's plenary agenda, hoping to capitalize on the ultra-Orthodox revolt to topple the government. Netanyahu's coalition, formed in December 2022, includes Likud, far-right factions and ultra-Orthodox parties. A walkout by the latter would end its majority. A poll published in March by right-wing daily Israel Hayom found 85 percent of Israeli Jews support changing the conscription law for Haredim. Forty-one percent backed compulsory military service -- currently 32 months for men -- for all eligible members of the community.
Asharq Al-Awsat
11 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli Left-wing Leader Says War Must End, Government 'Doesn't Represent' The People
Israeli left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan called on Monday for an immediate end to the Gaza war and said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government no longer represented most Israelis. "Today the government of Israel doesn't represent the vast majority of Israelis," said Golan, chairman of the Democrats party and a former deputy army chief, days before a planned parliament vote which the opposition hopes would trigger a general election. He told journalists in a briefing that after more than 20 months of fighting, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, Israel "should end the war as soon as possible". Golan's party, a conglomeration of left-wing factions, has only four seats in Israel's 120-member legislature, making it one of its smallest political groups. But in a country where coalition building is essential to achieving a political majority, even relatively small parties can wield considerable power. Golan, a former deputy minister in a short-lived administration that replaced Netanyahu in 2021-2022, said that the current government -- one of the most right-wing in Israel's history -- was a threat to democracy. The opposition leader said he represents those "who want to save Israeli democracy... from a corrupted future" and from the "messianic-like and nationalistic and extremist vision of a very small faction in the Israeli society". "The vast majority wants to keep Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and at the same time a free, egalitarian and democratic state," Golan said. He said that the vast majority of Israelis wanted to see an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the return of all hostages held by Palestinian fighters in a single exchange deal, and the establishment of a national commission of inquiry into Hamas's unprecedented 2023 attack, arguing that the Netanyahu government was opposed to these objectives. "I believe that we can reach a hostages deal in a matter of days," Golan said. "I believe that by ending the war and freeing the hostages, we will be able to build an alternative to Hamas inside the Gaza Strip." Criticizing the government's Gaza war policies, the former army general has recently drawn condemnation in Israel for saying that "a sane country... does not kill babies for a hobby". Golan on Monday also said that most Israelis support legislation that would require ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, who are currently largely exempt from military service, to enlist. The issue has sparked tension between Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox parties in his government, with lawmakers threatening to topple the prime minister if no agreement is reached this week. Some opposition parties are seeking to place a bill to dissolve parliament on Wednesday's plenary agenda, hoping to capitalize on the ultra-Orthodox revolt. "The vast majority wants new elections as soon as possible," Golan said.
