Nearly 100 Palestinians detained in Israeli raids across northern West Bank

The Israeli army detained nearly 100 Palestinians - including suspected Hamas activists and former prisoners - on Wednesday morning during large-scale raids across several northern West Bank cities.

According to The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site al-Araby al-Jadeed, the arrests were concentrated in the cities of Nablus and Salfit in the northern West Bank, as well as the towns of Abu Dis and al-Eizariya southeast of Jerusalem, and the town of Arraba south of Jenin.

Al-Araby al-Jadeed reported that Israeli forces stormed several neighbourhoods in Nablus, raiding and searching multiple homes.

Among those arrested was former Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser al-Shaer, who was later released after being held for several hours during a field interrogation. Shaer previously served as Minister of Education and Higher Education as a Hamas member between 2006 and 2007.

Al-Araby al-Jadeed also reported the arrest of Sheikh Maher al-Kharraz, a prominent Hamas official and well-known figure in Nablus. Al-Kharraz has been repeatedly detained over the years by both Israeli authorities and Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces.

At least 13 prisoners recently released by Israel were also detained in Nablus.

Several young men were also reportedly interrogated in the field following their arrest, after Israeli forces carried out further raids in the Salfit governorate, Arraba, Abu Dis and al-Eizariya.

According to al-Araby al-Jadeed, the arrest campaign came shortly after the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) announced that its teams had treated three detainees on Tuesday night who had been severely beaten before being released from Israeli prisons.

They were handed over at the al-Jib military checkpoint northwest of Jerusalem, located along the Separation Barrier, and transferred to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah for treatment.

The International Organization of Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners reports that as of November, more than 9,250 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, including 3,368 under administrative detention without charge.

The Israeli army has intensified its operations in the West Bank since the outbreak of the genocidal war in Gaza on 7 October 2023.

At least 1,092 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 11,000 injured in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since October 2023, while tens of thousands have been detained.

Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners following the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza last October but these represent less than 20 percent of the detainees it holds.