Occupation Forces Arrest 45 Palestinians in the West Bank, Including Five Women and Two Journalists

Ramallah, April 4 (KUNA) -- Israeli occupation forces carried out widespread arrest operations in the West Bank on Wednesday, detaining 45 Palestinians, including five women and two journalists. The Palestinian Prisoners Club stated in a press release that among those arrested was journalist Hazem Nasser, who had been released by the occupation forces only about two weeks prior. The statement noted that the arrests were concentrated in the Nablus and Hebron governorates, while the remaining cases were distributed across the Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Bethlehem governorates. Additionally, Israeli forces conducted field investigation campaigns in the Jenin governorate, targeting several Palestinians before releasing them later.

The club stated that these arrests are part of the occupation’s continued escalation of arrest and pursuit operations across various West Bank governorates. These operations no longer target a specific group or segment but instead affect all components of Palestinian society, as part of a systematic policy aimed at expanding the scope of targeting and using arrest as a tool for persecution and pressure.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club pointed out that the targeting of women and journalists through repeated arrests, alongside the re-arrest of released prisoners shortly after their release, reflects the broadening and continuation of persecution even after release. It emphasized that the case of journalist Nasser highlights, in this context, the ongoing targeting of Palestinian journalists through arrest and harassment, constituting a direct attack on their journalistic work and their role in reporting facts and documenting violations.

It added that field investigation campaigns represent one of the patterns of continuous targeting, often accompanied by home invasions and the detention of citizens for extended periods, along with mistreatment they endure before being released in many cases. This transforms such campaigns into additional tools for persecution and intimidation.

The club affirmed that the surge in arrest operations occurs amid the occupation’s continued use of arbitrary detention, administrative detention, interrogation, and detention as tools for persecution and collective retaliation. These arrest operations are accompanied by a series of violations, starting with home invasions and terrorizing families, progressing to physical assaults and deliberate destruction of property, and culminating in harsh detention and interrogation conditions.

It stressed that the continuous arrest operations take place within the context of an escalating system of violations and crimes against Palestinians since the onset of the genocide, with the number of arrest cases in the West Bank exceeding 26,000. This reflects the continued use of arrest as a central, historical colonial tool to target the Palestinian presence. (End) N.Q./T.M.A