West Bank: Over 36 Palestinians detained by Israeli forces in 24 hours

Israeli forces have detained at least 36 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank in the last 24 hours, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Sunday.

Among those detained were a journalist, four female students from Hebron and several former prisoners.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) and the Authority of Detainees and Ex-Detainees affairs said that since the start of the violent Israeli raids on the occupied West Bank, around 110 Palestinians have been detained across different cities.

The organisation added that most of the detentions in the last 24 hours were reported in Hebron.

They said that over 10,400 Palestinians have been detained across the West Bank and Jerusalem since the start of the war on Gaza on 7 October.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive on the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, destroying roads, key infrastructure and homes, claiming to carry out “counterterrorism operations”.

The ongoing military operation is being described as the largest of its kind since 2002, marking a significant escalation while Israel’s war on Gaza rages on.

The raids have targeted Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, Bethlehem and Tulkarem, and have entered their fifth day despite international condemnation.

Electricity has been cut off throughout the Jenin camp since the start of the raid, with parts of the Khalid bin al-Walid Mosque in the east of the city also partially destroyed.

The violent raid saw armoured vehicles enter the refugee camps in the cities, and bulldozers demolishing homes and shelters.

The UN has raised concerns the latest Israeli raid was "fuelling an already explosive situation".

The operation has garnered international condemnation, with Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, saying it took place "in close proximity to four hospitals" and some "have been surrounded", preventing medical staff from doing their job.

Guterres also called for an "immediate cessation of these operations," in an official statement from his office.

Palestinian rights groups including Al-Haq, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights and The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights called on the international community to immediately intervene and enact measures against Israel to ensure international laws are being abided by.