Israel has stepped up its atrocities in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds, killing 42 Palestinians in its attacks on refugee camps since the beginning of this year, a new report says.
The report released on Monday by the Palestinian data center “Mu'ti" said that Aqabat Jaber camp, situated near the eastern West Bank city of Jericho, was the target of 307 Israeli raids, the highest when compared with other Palestinian camps.
The regime forces arrested 335 Palestinians in their attacks that left 42 people dead and 373 others injured, added the report, carried by the Palestinian Information Center.
It also recorded 1,561 Israeli crimes against the residents of Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and al-Quds so far in 2023.
The occupation forces, the report said, stormed 277 Palestinian homes, illegally possessed two houses and destroyed 17 properties.
The Israeli military carries out deadly raids on various Palestinian towns across the occupied West Bank almost on a daily basis under the pretext of detaining what it calls “wanted” Palestinians. The violent near-nightly attacks spark heavy clashes with local Palestinians.
Recently, the Tel Aviv regime waged a two-day aerial and ground offensive against the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp. At least 12 Palestinians were killed and 140 others injured during the aggression.
On Sunday, the Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies (PCPS) said the Israeli soldiers had arrested 570 Palestinian minors in the first half of 2023.
PCPS director Riyad al-Ashqar said the figure shows a 15 percent increase compared to the previous year.
He further noted that 29 of the detained minors are under 12, including two 10-year-old Palestinians.
“Dozens of children were held in home confinement following their release in the first half of 2023,” Ashqar said.
He added that 23 Palestinian minors were arrested under Tel Aviv’s inhumane administrative detention policy, which allows incarcerating Palestinian inmates without trial or charge.
The administrative detention takes place on the orders of a military commander and on the basis of what the regime describes as “secret” evidence. Some prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.
According to the latest figures released by Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Israel is currently holding around 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners in its prisons and detention facilities, including 155 children and 32 women.
The figure also includes 1,014 Palestinians, who are being kept under the regime’s administrative detention policy.
In June, the Palestinian Administrative Detainees’ Committee announced that Palestinian prisoners held under Israel’s administrative detention policy were planning a mass open-ended hunger strike in protest at their unlawful and indefinite imprisonment.