Hebron: Israeli occupation forces detained seven Palestinians from the occupied West Bank governorates of Salfit and Hebron on Tuesday evening. The local sources reported that the occupation troops rounded up five Palestinians, all identified as residents of Beit Kahel town, west of Hebron, while they were touring their land in the Farsh al-Hawa area. Additionally, the forces detained a youth from a store in Deir Istiya town, northwest of Salfit.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, earlier in the day, eyewitnesses confirmed that the occupation soldiers detained a 17-year-old teen after besieging a house in Tiinnik village, west of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The occupation forces frequently conduct raids on Palestinian houses across the West Bank, often resulting in clashes with residents. These operations occur without search warrants, under the extensive arbitrary powers granted to the military.
Under Israeli military law, army commanders wield full executive, legislative, and judicial authority over the 3 million Palestinians residing in the West Bank. Palestinians do not have any influence over how this authority is exercised. The latest figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, indicate that there are currently 10,400 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 320 child prisoners and 88 female prisoners.
This figure encompasses approximately 3,376 Palestinians placed under 'administrative detention,' a policy that permits detention without charge or trial for renewable periods ranging from three to six months, based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee's lawyer cannot access. The mass arrest of Palestinians is a longstanding issue. A 2017 report by Addameer highlighted that over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel, with the figure now estimated to be closer to 1 million. This means about 40% of Palestinian men and boys living under military occupation have experienced imprisonment. Almost every Palestinian family has endured the incarceration of a loved one.