Israeli occupation forces carried out a new wave of arrests across the occupied West Bank, detaining at least 45 Palestinians, including from occupied Jerusalem, between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS).

In its statement, PPS reported that the raids targeted multiple Palestinian towns and refugee camps, including Qabatiya, south of Jenin, Deir al-Hatab near Nablus, and the Shuafat refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem. Additional detentions were recorded in the governorates of Tulkarm, Jericho, Hebron, and Salfit, reflecting the widespread and systematic nature of the arrests.

According to PPS, the Israeli forces not only carried out arrests but also engaged in assaults, abuse, and field interrogations, subjecting detainees and their families to harsh treatment. The organization highlighted that Israeli troops used detainees as hostages during operations and caused extensive destruction to Palestinian homes and property.

During the dawn raid on Wednesday, Israeli forces also demolished the home of Palestinian prisoner Ahmad Abu al-Rub in Qabatiya, adding yet another case to the occupation’s policy of punitive home demolitions, which human rights groups widely condemn as collective punishment.

PPS stressed that arbitrary arrests have become one of the occupation’s most systematic and daily tools of oppression, targeting Palestinians from all walks of life, including children, women, academics, activists, former prisoners, and community leaders. Since the beginning of the ongoing genocidal war against Gaza, the number of Palestinians arrested in the West Bank has surged to approximately 21,000, reflecting the scale of repression imposed by Israeli authorities.

Human rights organizations continue to warn that Israel’s escalating arrest campaigns, along with torture, ill-treatment, and home demolitions, represent a deepening of the occupation’s policy aimed at breaking Palestinian resilience and suppressing any form of resistance or political expression.

The continued mass arrests underscore the intensifying climate of fear and instability across the occupied West Bank, as Palestinian families face ongoing raids, destruction, and the threat of detention under a military system that denies them basic rights and due process. (ILKHA)