Ramallah, April 29 2025 — On Tuesday morning, Israel announced that they had arrested 24 Palestinians during overnight raids across multiple towns and refugee camps across the occupied West Bank as tensions in the region continue to flare up.
According to a statement issued by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), arrests made were part of their “counterterrorism operations”, targeting individuals suspected of involvement with militant activities, plotting attacks or creating unrest. Raids took place across Jenin, Nablus, Hebron Bethlehem and Ramallah itself – as well as in Jenin Nablus Hebron Bethlehem and Ramallah’s environs.
“Twenty-four suspects were detained and transferred for questioning by Israeli forces,” according to IDF statements, with some believed to have links with Hamas or Islamic Jihad groups. Weapons and “incitement materials” were also confiscated during these operations.
Palestinian sources refuted aspects of the IDF narrative by alleging that many of those arrested were civilians – students and former detainees among them. Residents from Jenin reported clashes erupting between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces during this raid, leading to minor injuries caused by tear gas and rubber bullets.
Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), a Ramallah-based rights group, confirmed and strongly denounced what it termed “an ongoing campaign of collective punishment and arbitrary detention”. Since 2025’s start, Israeli forces have detained over 1,200 Palestinians including many minors.
The arrests come amid an upsurge in tension throughout the occupied territories and Jerusalem, with frequent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters. Israeli forces have increased their presence in the West Bank following several attacks inside Israel or near settlements; Palestinian groups accuse Israel of intensifying military raids, house demolitions and settlement expansion.
International rights organizations have voiced alarm over Israel’s rising detentions without charges, many falling under its “administrative detention” policy that allows suspects to be detained for renewable six-month terms without formal charges or trial being brought against them. Human rights activists and the UN have long opposed this practice as being in breach of due process and contrary to fundamental human rights principles.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority is calling upon international bodies to put pressure on Israel to end what it regards as its campaign of repression aimed at breaking resistance and undermining Palestinian civil life.
As Ramadan draws to a close and political tensions remain elevated, observers caution of further escalation unless a political solution can be found and human rights protections for all sides upheld.