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

Ramallah: Israeli forces are said to have detained at least 22 Palestinians in the West Bank, including two Palestinian detainees released following the Israel-Hamas agreement in November of last year, as well as a woman.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club, a non-governmental organisation, announced the arrests on Tuesday in 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 last year, 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 October 7 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.

With inputs from IANS