Israel arrests 40 Palestinians in overnight raids

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM

Israeli forces rounded up 40 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military on Friday.

The individuals who include 37 Hamas members were arrested for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature of these activities.

The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

According to Palestinian figures, some 6,000 Palestinians continue to languish in Israeli detention facilities, including scores of women and hundreds of minors.