Jerusalem, January 1 (EFE). – The number of arrests of Palestinians by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since the war with Hamas broke out in Gaza on October 7 is approaching 5,000, according to Palestinian sources, while Israel claims that only 2,250 people have been arrested since then, including 1,300 with ties to the Hamas.
In the last few hours, 32 Palestinians have been arrested on West Bank territory, bringing the number of arrests in the region since the outbreak of war to 4,910, all against the backdrop of regional tensions that include Israeli incursions and raids on Palestinian sites daily, according to the Detainee Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Club
The Islamist group, which has controlled Gaza since violently seizing power from the Palestinian Authority (PNA) in 2007, faces the ruling and nationalist Fatah party, which dominates the PNA and governs small parts of the occupied West Bank.
However, Hamas has influence and followers in the area, and its popularity increased after its Oct. 7 attack, which humiliated Israel and was seen as a symbolic triumph for the Palestinians.
In December, Palestinian authorities estimated that around 8,000 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons, including around 2,800 in administrative detention without charge, trial or release date.
Violence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was high before the Gaza war broke out, but increased further after October 7th.
2023 was the deadliest year in the region since the Second Intifada. Some 528 Palestinians were killed, some of them militiamen or attackers killed in clashes with Israeli forces, but also civilians, including 112 minors.
However, of this total death toll, approximately 320 people have died in the last more than two and a half months since the war broke out in Gaza.
According to Israeli NGO Yesh Din, 2023 was the most violent year in terms of settler actions against Palestinians in the West Bank, “both in terms of number of incidents and severity.”
“At least 20 Palestinians were killed by settlers and dozens of homes and vehicles burned,” Yesh Din said in a statement, in more than 1,200 incidents involving Israeli settlers documented by the United Nations in 2023. EFE
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