Israel's army raid al-Najah university in the occupied West Bank, detains 25 students

The Israeli army arrested 25 university students in Nablus who were staging a sit-in at the al-Najah University campus on Monday morning, 15 January. The sit-in was part of a student protest demanding to ease the terms of paying tuition.

Among the detained was Muhammad Salameh, president of the student union council. The university detainees are said to be supporters of several Palestinian factions, including the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). 

The sit-in has been going on for more than three weeks, and the students' demands bore "no relation to politics", said a student to local media. 

Monday's arrests signify the first instance of the Israeli army storming the al-Najah University campus since 1992. The Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education and the al-Najah University condemned the Israeli army raid. 

On Sunday, the Israeli forces killed five Palestinians in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank.

At least 55 Palestinians were arrested in various parts of the occupied West Bank by the Israeli forces overnight. According to the Palestinian prisoners' rights group Addameer, Israel detained nearly 11,000 Palestinians in 2023. 

On 26 December of last year, the Israeli forces detained Khalida Jarrar, 60, a well-known activist against the Israeli occupation and placed her under administrative detention for six months. Jarrar served as a legislative council member until the Palestinian Authority disbanded the legislative body in late 2018. 

Munther Amira, 50, another anti-occupation activist, was placed under administrative detention for four months. The Israeli forces took Amira from his home in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem in late December.

At least 2,070 Palestinians are currently serving prison sentences without being tried or charged, in what is termed "administrative detention", in Israeli prisons.

There has been a surge in detentions in the occupied West Bank following Hamas' 7 October attacks, triggering massive Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. Palestinian health ministry officials report that these strikes have resulted in the deaths of over 24,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians.

Around 1,200 Israelis, civilians and from the military, were killed on 7 October, according to Israeli sources.