5 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Mass Arrest Campaign Sweeps West Bank
DaysofPal – Palestinian detainee organizations reported that Israeli forces carried out 3,850 arrests across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during the first half of 2025.
Among those detained were around 400 children and 125 women. The figures, published Monday by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners Society, and Addameer, describe an intensified policy of mass arrests under what the groups called an ongoing campaign of systematic repression.
The month of March saw the highest number of arrests—around 800 cases—including individuals who were later released. The majority of arrests targeted youth, former prisoners, and recently released detainees.
The cities of Jenin and Tulkarem, which have faced some of the most aggressive military assaults since the Second Intifada, recorded the highest number of arrests, with 920 and 455 respectively. These campaigns were accompanied by large-scale displacement, home demolitions, extrajudicial killings, and mass detentions, particularly in refugee camps.
Torture, Field Interrogations
In many areas, field interrogations have become a widespread tactic, often replacing formal arrests. Hundreds of Palestinians—including children, women, and the elderly—have been subjected to violent beatings, psychological torture, and various forms of abuse during these interrogations.
Human rights organizations noted that such practices are no less brutal than those taking place inside Israeli detention centers.
Settler violence has also played a role in driving up arrests, especially in villages near illegal settlements. These raids often involve both settlers and Israeli soldiers acting in coordination, resulting in arrests, property destruction, and physical assaults on residents.
Deteriorating Conditions
Inside Israeli prisons, detainees continue to face deteriorating and inhumane conditions. The report highlighted a surge in torture, starvation, medical neglect, isolation, and sexual abuse since the war on Gaza began.
The spread of scabies and other infectious diseases has worsened the health crisis among detainees. At least 19 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody in the first half of the year, including 10 from Gaza and 9 from the West Bank. One of them was a 17-year-old boy, Waleed Ahmad, from the town of Silwad.
Testimonies from inside prisons and military detention centers reveal a pattern of systemic abuse. Many former detainees released in recent months have described horrific conditions, especially those who were held in secret locations or subjected to prolonged field interrogations.
Administrative Detention
Administrative detention—imprisonment without charge or trial—has reached an all-time high. As of early July 2025, Israel is holding 3,629 Palestinians under administrative detention orders, including 87 children and 10 women. Most of those detained this way are former prisoners, many of whom have been held multiple times under similar orders.
Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, more than 18,000 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank alone.
This number does not include thousands more detained in Gaza, where mass arrests have been carried out in secrecy. At least 560 women and 1,450 children have been detained since the onset of what rights groups describe as a campaign of extermination.
As of this month, there are approximately 10,800 Palestinians in Israeli prisons—the highest number since the Second Intifada. This figure does not include those held in Israeli military camps.
Among them are 50 women (including two from Gaza), more than 450 children, and 2,454 detainees classified by Israel as 'unlawful combatants,' a category that strips individuals of legal protections under international law and includes detainees from Lebanon and Syria.
The report concludes by warning that these policies reflect a deepening effort to suppress Palestinian society through mass incarceration, collective punishment, and denial of fundamental rights.
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