Two months have passed since the October 7 cross-border attack on Israel by Hamas fighters. During this period, relentless Israeli strikes and ground attacks have killed at least 17,000 Palestinians and injured more than 43,000 people in the enclave.
At the same time, Israeli authorities have intensified arrests of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Around 7,800 people have been detained in these areas over the past two months.
Palestinian detainees are typically imprisoned over allegations of stone-throwing at Israeli forces and are frequently arrested during protests or marches in Palestine, according to Raed Mohammed Mahmood Amer, president of the Palestinian Prisoners Society.
“Every day, Palestinian towns, villages and camps are raided, during which dozens of people are arrested. The raids include sabotage operations, house searches and detainees assaulted during arrest operations and transported to investigation and detention centers,” Amer said.
Noting that Israel had arrested a “large number of young men from West Bank towns” even as the assault on Gaza continued, he said the total was “several times higher than the number released” during the humanitarian pause .
A total of 2,873 people are placed in administrative detention without charge or trial, generally for security reasons.
“Regarding the arrests in Gaza, there are a large number of people arrested by the Israeli occupation and taken to unknown locations for investigation,” Amer said.
“So far we do not know the names and numbers due to the ongoing war,” he added, warning that their lives are “really in danger”, given that neither the Red Cross nor other human rights institutions are allowed to visit them. .
A total of 266 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,365 injured by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since October 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Settler attacks on Palestinians and their properties are on the rise, with at least 308 incidents recorded over the past two months, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
As a result of these attacks by settlers – who are often supported by armed Israeli soldiers – at least 143 families have been displaced, the ministry said.
The displaced Palestinian families total more than 1,000 people, including 388 children.