Occupation forces assaulted and arrested an elderly Palestinian man in the city of Hebron as Israel’s mass detention campaign continues.
Israeli occupation soldiers assaulted and then arrested an elderly Palestinian man, Sheikh Ziyad Abu Hilil, in the town of Dura, south of Hebron (Al-Khalil), on Thursday.
Footage shared by the Quds News Network (QNN) showed Abu Hilil being shoved by two soldiers before being detained.
In the past 24 hours, at least 12 Palestinians, including a child and a woman, were detained in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.
They said in a joint statement that the detentions took place mainly in the Hebron Governorate, with other cases reported in Qalqilya, Nablus and Salfit, reported the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA.
Tensions have escalated in the West Bank since Israel began its genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip in October last year.
Israeli occupation soldiers assault an elderly Palestinian man in the city of Hebron, south of the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/NOdxKsNLLN
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 13, 2024
9,170 Detainees
At least 18 detainees from the occupied West Bank have died in Israeli detention since October 7, with the total number of arrests reaching 9,170, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club.
“Israeli occupation authorities, after 250 days of the genocidal war, continue to escalate systematic arrest campaigns that have targeted more than 9,170 detainees from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, in addition to thousands from Gaza,” it said in a statement on Wednesday, according to the Anadolu news agency.
“The occupation has committed horrific crimes against prisoners leading to at least 18 deaths, while it is estimated that dozens of detainees from Gaza have been martyred,” the organization said.
Israeli Forces Detain 22 Palestinians, Youth Dies of Injuries – West Bank Update
Israel recently “said in an investigative report that 36 detainees from Gaza have been martyred, and until today, it refuses to disclose their identities or circumstances of death,” it added.
The organization noted that 310 women and at least 640 children have been detained.
Journalists Detained
In total, 85 journalists were arrested, and 52 remain in detention, including 14 journalists from Gaza.
“Among those detained, six female journalists are held either under administrative detention or on charges claimed by the occupation as incitement.”
It also noted that “the number of administrative detention orders has reached about 6,627.”
Administrative detention is an Israeli military order allowing detention without charge, extending up to six months and renewable.
Gaza Detainees Injected with Unknown Substance as Torture Escalates – Euro-Med Monitor
“The issue of Gaza detainees is currently the main challenge for human rights organizations, especially with the continued practice of enforced disappearance by the occupation against the majority of detainees from Gaza and its refusal to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit them and check their detention conditions,” the organization said.
Lack of Hygiene
Regarding the torture of detainees, it said that “methods of mistreatment include thirst, hunger and the deprivation of all basic life necessities.”
The Prisoners Club highlighted that “The spread of skin diseases among detainees has emerged, particularly scabies.”
This is “due to the lack of hygiene conditions, especially since the prison administration withdrew clothing and left each detainee with only one set of clothes, adopting a policy of overcrowding.”
The organization called for an “investigation under international supervision into the serious crimes and violations committed against detainees and prisoners in the occupation’s prisons and camps.”
(PC, Anadolu, WAFA)
