Israeli Forces Arrest 22 Palestinians in West Bank Amid Ongoing Raids and War Crimes Accusations

Watan-Israeli forces arrested at least 22 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, according to the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA).

Among the detainees were four women—three of whom were later released—as well as a journalist and several former prisoners. These arrests are part of a broader and ongoing Israeli campaign targeting Palestinian civilians across the West Bank.

According to WAFA, Israeli aggression in the provinces of Jenin and Tulkarm has persisted for nearly 100 consecutive days, involving widespread raids, home invasions, and field interrogations. Since the beginning of the invasion of Jenin and its refugee camp, more than 600 Palestinians have been detained. Similarly, around 260 cases of detention were recorded in Tulkarm and its two refugee camps, including individuals who were later released.

Ongoing Israeli War Crimes in Gaza and the West Bank

The latest wave of arrests occurs against the backdrop of escalating Israeli military operations across Palestinian territories. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been conducting a brutal war on Gaza, resulting in catastrophic human losses. More than 38,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed or wounded, including thousands of women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israeli actions in Gaza—including indiscriminate bombings of civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and residential neighborhoods—have been widely condemned by human rights organizations and legal experts as war crimes and crimes against humanity. UN reports and investigations by organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented systematic violations of international law, including collective punishment, forced displacement, and the targeting of humanitarian workers.

In the West Bank, Israeli military operations have intensified dramatically during the same period. Extrajudicial killings, mass arbitrary detentions, the demolition of homes, and restrictions on movement have become daily occurrences, especially in cities like Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, and Hebron.

International Response and Legal Actions

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened preliminary investigations into Israeli conduct in the occupied territories, with mounting pressure from global civil society groups demanding full accountability for war crimes.

Meanwhile, UN officials, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestine, have warned that Israel’s policies in the West Bank amount to an apartheid system, where systematic oppression, domination, and segregation of Palestinians are enforced through military and administrative means.

As Israeli forces continue their arrest campaigns and military raids across the West Bank, the situation of Palestinian civilians remains dire. Humanitarian organizations are calling for immediate international intervention to halt what they describe as a deliberate campaign of repression aimed at dismantling Palestinian resistance and entrenching Israeli occupation.