RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army rounded up at least 18 Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups on Thursday.

Two girls and former prisoners were among the detainees in the raids that targeted several areas in the occupied territory, including Hebron, Qalqilya, Tubas, and Ramallah, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

“The raids were marked by abuse, threats against detainees and their families, and acts of vandalism and destruction on citizens' homes,” it added.

The new arrests brought the number of Palestinians detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank since October last year to over 11,600, including those who were released after being arrested, according to Palestinian figures.

The figure doesn't include those arrested from the Gaza Strip whose numbers are estimated to be in the thousands.

The Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank in recent years, which have escalated with the start of the onslaught against the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

Nearly 780 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar