Israel detains 22 Palestinians in West Bank, including prisoners released in 'swap deal'

Israeli forces have reportedly detained at least 22 Palestinians in the West Bank, including two Palestinian prisoners who were released during the Israel-Hamas truce in November last year and a woman.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club, a non-governmental organisation, said in a statement on Tuesday, 5 March that the arrests were carried out in the cities of Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Jericho. They were allegedly accompanied by "torture, beatings, sabotage operations, extensive destruction in homes, and seizure of funds", Xinhua news agency reported.

The club identified Aman Nafe and Hanan al-Barghouti from the village of Kobar near Ramallah, both of whom were released in a hostage-for-prisoner swap during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas in November 2023, and Mona Abu Hussein from the village of Aboud, among those arrested.

So far, the Israeli army has arrested nine Palestinian prisoners who were released in the hostage-for-prisoner swap, including three children and two women, according to Palestinian sources.

During the week-long temporary ceasefire in November last year, 105 civilian hostages were released from Hamas captivity, including 81 Israelis, 23 Thais, and one Filipino.

Meanwhile, institutions dealing with Palestinian prisoner affairs reported that Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from its jails during the ceasefire, including 71 female prisoners and 169 children.

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military spokesperson, said on social media platform X that the Israeli authorities arrested people suspected of being involved in "terrorist" activities in the West Bank

He noted that among the detainees was Muhammad al-Tanji from Balata refugee camp in Nablus, who intelligence indicated was planning a "terrorist operation" with others soon.

Adraee mentioned that Israeli forces had demolished the house of Abid Masad in the village of Kafr Dan, Jenin, for his alleged involvement in a shooting accident in August last year in Hawara town near Nablus, resulting in the deaths of two Israeli citizens.

The Israeli forces also arrested four wanted people from the village of Kobar, one from Yatta in Hebron, and three from Jericho, according to the spokesperson.

Since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict on 7 October last year, Israel has arrested approximately 3,450 wanted people in the West Bank, with about 1,500 of them belonging to Hamas, according to Adraee.

The West Bank has experienced escalating tension and armed confrontations in cities, villages, and refugee camps since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict.