The Israeli occupation forces carried out a wide-ranging arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank on Monday, detaining 44 Palestinians, including nine children, a girl, and several former detainees. The arrests took place during a series of raids on cities, towns, and refugee camps, accompanied by heavy military deployment and house searches.
In the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, 12 individuals were detained, including nine children. Those arrested were identified as Kamal al-Barghouthi, Adam Muhannad Barghouth, Hamza Mohammad al-Barghouth (15), Naji Mu’tasim Balout (14), Yazan Majdi Abdel Majid (15), Ahmad Ayser Dar Saleh (14), Murad Hamayel, Mohammad Munir Naeem, Wadie Samara (15), as well as former detainee Tamer Shawamra, Birzeit University student Murad Marwan Afaneh (20), and Abu Haitham al-Ghazawi.
In Tulkarem, seven Palestinians were detained, including former prisoners: Mu’tasim Asaad Shalabiya (51), Bara Omar Bdeir, Shadi Maher Abu Hadiya, Anan Jaber, Mohammad al-Shannar, Adam Naaman al-Zabda, and Jaafar Shahada (34).
In Nablus, eight individuals were arrested: Muayyad Joudeh, Mahmoud Mohammad Qablan, Mohammad Ahmad Shahada, Rami Talal Dweikat, Ayman Dweikat, Mohammad Rasoul al-Ahwal, and Amir Jabr Salhi.
In Qalqilya, four Palestinians were detained, including a girl: Imran Abu Hamed, Majed Zahran, Ali al-Jada’, and Bilqis al-Laham.
In Hebron, 13 individuals were arrested: Hamza Abdel Aziz Abu Turki, Abdullah Ahmad Taha, Mousa Maher Barqan, Ammar Kamal al-Ajlouni, Ayman Taha Abu Sneineh and his son Habib, Mahmoud Jamal Makhamra, Ahmad Akram Joudeh, Akram Saeed Oweidat, Hamza Rouhi Akhleil, Khalil Shawabka, Ismail Mohammad Awad, and Fadl Badr Awad.
This campaign reflects an ongoing pattern of mass arrests targeting civilians, including children and former detainees, often carried out during night raids without clear arrest warrants and involving the use of military force in residential areas.
The detention of children in such circumstances constitutes a clear violation of international child protection standards. The re-arrest of former detainees also raises serious concerns about the use of detention as a repeated punitive measure outside the framework of fair trial guarantees.
International human rights law guarantees the right to liberty and security of person, prohibits arbitrary detention, and obliges occupying authorities to ensure fair and transparent legal proceedings. The conduct of widespread raids in civilian areas, accompanied by intimidation of residents, represents a direct infringement on fundamental rights, including the right to privacy and the inviolability of the home.
Amid this escalation, concerns are growing over the expanding scope of detention, particularly among children and youth, further exacerbating the humanitarian and social situation in the West Bank and underscoring the urgent need for international intervention to halt mass arrest campaigns and ensure the protection of civilians under occupation.
