RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army detained at least 30 Palestinians in fresh military raids in the occupied West Bank late Sunday and early Monday, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

Most of the arrests took place in Bethlehem, while the rest occurred in the cities of Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron, Salfit, and Tubas, the Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement on Monday.

The new arrests brought to 9,155 the number of Palestinians detained by Israeli forces in the occupied territory since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 36,700 victims following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

At least 532 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,000 others injured by Israeli army fire in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio