Over 100 Palestinians Detained in Mass Arrest Campaign across West Bank 

December 10, 2025 News
Among those detained in the West Bank was Muhammad Al-Arda, one of the six Golboa Prison break detainees. (Photo: via social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Among those detained was Muhammad Al-Arda, one of the six Golboa Prison break detainees, who was released as part of the prisoner exchange deal in January.

The Israeli occupation army launched a large-scale arrest campaign in the occupied West Bank in the early hours of Wednesday, detaining more than 100 Palestinians, including political leaders and former prisoners, according to reports.

The campaign targeted the cities of Nablus, Salfit, Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Jericho, as well as the towns of Al-Eizariya and Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem.

Israeli occupation forces arrested 50 Palestinians in Nablus, 15 in Salfit, 13 in Jericho, and 20 others in East Jerusalem, some of whom were released after field interrogations, according to a correspondent for the Anadolu news agency.

Among those detained in Jenin was Nasser Al-Din Al-Shaer, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority and Minister of Education and Higher Education from 2006 to 2007.

Al-Shaer was released after being held for several hours in a field interrogation.

In Salfit, in the northwestern West Bank, Israeli occupation forces detained dozens of young men and severely beat them during field interrogations, Al-Jazeera Arabic reported, citing the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Gilboa Prison Break Detainee Re-Arrested

In Jenin, occupation forces arrested the released prisoner Muhammad al-Arda from the town of Arraba after raiding his home at dawn. Al-Arda was one of the six detainees who escaped from the high-security Gilboa Prison in 2021 through a tunnel dug using a small spoon. The prisoners were later re-arrested. In January 2025, he was freed, as part of the prisoner exchange agreement, after more than 25 years in detention.

The Quds News Network (QNN) reported that al-Arda was subsequently released after several hours of detention and interrogation.

Occupation forces also arrested another released prisoner after raiding his home in the suburb of Arta, south of Tulkarm, Al-Jazeera Arabic said.

Qalqilya

Elsewhere, the Israeli occupation army stormed the city of Qalqilya from its southern entrance, deploying in the neighborhoods of Shreim and Al-Daoud, the report added. Two men in their thirties were detained after their homes were searched and ransacked.

The forces also carried out raids in the towns of Habla, Kafr Thulth, Azzun, and Amatin, but no arrests were reported.

Jericho, Hebron

In Jericho, local sources reported that Israeli occupation forces conducted a campaign of arrests at dawn on Wednesday, targeting 13 Palestinians in the city and its refugee camps. Several detainees were subjected to field interrogations. Some were later released after being questioned.

In Hebron (al-Khalil), in the southwestern West Bank, Israeli occupation forces detained seven residents of Beit Ummar, including fathers and their sons, after raiding their homes and transferring them to a military camp inside the illegal Karmei Tzur settlement.

The occupation forces blew up the main door of one resident’s home, searched several other houses, and confiscated quantities of gold jewelry.

Elsewhere, occupation forces raided homes in the town of Yatta and assaulted the residents. They also closed several main roads and erected military checkpoints at the entrances to the governorate.

East Jerusalem

In Bethlehem, occupation forces arrested a young man after storming and searching his home in the town of Tuqu’, southeast of the city. In Jerusalem, occupation forces carried out a large-scale campaign targeting approximately 20 Palestinians in the towns of Abu Dis and Al-Eizariya, east of the occupied city. The detainees were subjected to field interrogation, ill-treatment, and physical assault before some were later released.

This extensive military campaign comes amid a significant escalation in Israeli military operations in the West Bank in recent weeks, including night raids, mass arrests, and clashes in several areas.

Staggering Figures

At least 1,092 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 11,000 injured in attacks by the army and illegal Israeli Jewish settlers in the West Bank since October 2023. Over 21,000 people have also been arrested.

During that period, the occupation army’s bulldozers carried out about 3,187 demolition operations that led to the displacement of more than 8,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian statistics cited by Al-Jazeera Arabic.

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In a landmark opinion issued in July last year, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

(PC, AJA, Anadolu)

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