Israeli forces detain six Palestinians, including disabled ex-prisoner, in West Bank

Israeli forces detained at least six Palestinians in pre-dawn raids in the occupied West Bank on Friday, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Locals and security sources said Israeli troops ransacked the family homes of two of the detainees in the southern West Bank city of Hebron while detaining another from the Al-Arroub refugee camp.

Soldiers also detained three Palestinians in the town of Aqabah in the northern West Bank, including a disabled former prisoner.

Israeli forces have stepped up raids in the occupied West Bank, claiming to be targeting wanted militants. The raids are carried out without warrants and often lead to violent confrontations with local residents.

The latest raids come as the US is reportedly pressuring the Palestinian Authority [PA] to crack down on armed groups in the West Bank as part of a "security plan".

The plan puts the onus for security fully on the Palestinians, imposing no conditions on Israel and allowing it to continue its raids.

The escalating violence by Israel has affected much of the West Bank, with 2022 the deadliest year there since the United Nations started tracking fatalities in the occupied territory in 2005.

In January alone, Israeli forces killed 35 Palestinians.

Israel also holds some 4,700 Palestinian political prisoners, including 150 children, according to the Addameer rights group.

Of that number, it is estimated that 835 are held under administrative detention, which allows Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians without charge or trial for periods of up to six months that may be renewed indefinitely.