Israeli security personnel in civilian clothing within what is known as the Musta’rab unit (Al Jazeera - Archive)

Israeli Musta'rab special forces kidnapped two students from Birzeit University after infiltrating the university campus in civilian clothes, while the occupation forces arrested 18 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, including children and a woman.

Today, Thursday, units of the Musta'ribin affiliated with the occupation forces kidnapped two students from in front of the entrance to Birzeit University, north of Ramallah.

Local sources reported that the Musta'rib kidnapped the Student Council President, Saleh Majed Hassan, and the student, Amr Zaloum, from in front of the western entrance to the university campus.

On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority for Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs (governmental) and the Prisoners' Club (non-governmental), said in a joint statement that the Israeli army arrested at least 18 citizens from the West Bank, including a woman and two children, from yesterday morning, Wednesday, until Thursday morning.

The arrests were concentrated in the town of Beit Rima, west of Ramallah (central), while other arrests were distributed in the governorates of Jericho (east), Hebron (south), Nablus (north), and Jerusalem, according to the statement.

Thus, the number of detainees in the occupied West Bank rises to 7,170 Palestinians since last October 7.

Massive sabotage and destruction by the occupation forces of Palestinian homes in the West Bank (French)

Harassment and assault

In this context, the two institutions indicated widespread acts of abuse, severe beatings, and threats against detainees and their families, in addition to widespread sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes, and the confiscation of money and vehicles.

The total number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons exceeds 9,000, including 3,484 administrative detainees, and 606 who are classified as irregular combatants and are detainees from Gaza, according to the data of the two institutions until the end of last January.

Administrative detention is a detention decision ordered by an Israeli military, claiming there is a security threat, and it was carried out without an indictment, and it lasts for 6 months, which can be extended.

Despite being tried on charges of committing “genocide,” Israel continues to target homes, hospitals, places of worship, and other civilian buildings in the Gaza Strip, and a number of Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of victims, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and a major deterioration in infrastructure and property, according to Palestinian and UN data.

In conjunction with that fierce war, Israel strengthened its security grip and military operations in the cities and towns of the West Bank, resulting in hundreds of deaths, injuries, and detainees.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies