Journalist and child among those swept up in overnight West Bank raids

January 5, 2026 - 15:38

Israeli forces detained dozens of Palestinians in raid-and-arrest operations across the occupied West Bank on Monday, Middle East Eye reported, citing local sources.

Those arrested included journalist Enas Ikhlawi, taken from her home in Idhna near Hebron, and 15-year-old Yazan al-Aloul in the Nur Shams camp near Tulkarm.

In Bethlehem’s Aida camp, more than 25 people were detained amid extensive house searches and intimidation, with additional arrests in Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Tubas.

Nightly raids have escalated since the genocidal war on Gaza in 2023. In just over two years, more than 21,000 Palestinians have been arrested from the West Bank; around 9,250 remain in detention, including 350 children and roughly 50 women.

Nearly half are held without charge under renewable administrative detention. Human rights groups report systematic abuse—torture, starvation, denial of medical care, and solitary confinement.

In 2025, 32 detainees, including a child, died in custody, bringing deaths since October 2023 to over 100, according to a joint report by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners Club, and Addameer.

Leave a Comment