Israel detains 78 more Palestinians in West Bank raids

Israeli army forces rounded up another 78 Palestinians in military raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, a local nongovernmental organization said.

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said 17 female university students from Hebron city were among the detainees.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank amid an Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 195 Palestinians have been killed and over 2,500 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

More than 2,650 people have also been detained by the Israeli army in the West Bank during the same period, according to figures released by prisoners’ affairs groups.

Before the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, the number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails was estimated at around 5,200, including more than 1,000 held under the notorious administrative detention policy without charge or trial.