DaysofPal- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) carried out a mass arrest campaign early Wednesday in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, detaining at least 60 Palestinians, most of whom are former prisoners, according to the Palestinian Information Centre.
Local sources said dozens of Israeli military vehicles stormed the town before dawn, raiding homes, ransacking property, and rounding up residents in multiple neighborhoods.
During the hours-long operation, soldiers reportedly turned the town’s football field into an improvised interrogation site, where detainees were gathered, questioned, and handcuffed before being taken to unknown locations.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as troops blocked main roads, set up checkpoints, and prevented ambulances and journalists from entering the area.
Several families said their homes were searched violently, with soldiers confiscating phones and documents.
The detainees include several former political prisoners previously held in Israeli jails, as well as young men and teenagers accused of participating in protests against the occupation.
Residents of Beit Ummar said the town has faced intensified military raids in recent weeks, part of a broader escalation of Israeli arrests across the occupied West Bank.
Rights groups say these mass detentions are part of a systematic campaign aimed at crushing local resistance and spreading fear among Palestinian communities.
According to Palestinian prisoner advocacy organizations, more than 10,000 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli prisons, including hundreds of women and minors, many without charge or trial under administrative detention orders.
Wednesday’s arrests come amid heightened Israeli military activity across the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
The army has conducted daily incursions into cities and refugee camps, resulting in thousands of arrests and the killing of hundreds of Palestinians over the past year.
Local officials in Hebron condemned the latest Beit Ummar raid as a “collective punishment” and called on international organizations to intervene to stop the “systematic repression and mass abduction of civilians.”
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