Israeli Forces Detain Dozens in Sweeping West Bank Arrests

The arrests were heavily concentrated in the village of Kobar, north of Ramallah, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Sources told Al Jazeera that at least 24 individuals were detained there. Among those identified were 16 people, including former detainees.

One of the detainees was Hanan Barghouti, a former prisoner and sister of Nael Barghouti, the longest-held Palestinian inmate in Israeli custody.

Nael Barghouti was released in February after 44 years in prison and subsequently deported to Egypt.
Witnesses reported that his family home in Kobar was converted into a military outpost and interrogation center during the raid.

Israeli troops also carried out operations in the city of Adh Dhahiriya, south of Hebron (Al-Khalil), at dawn.
During the raid, ten Palestinians were arrested, including three members of the local municipal council.

Arrests were also reported in other West Bank locations, including Azzun, Bethlehem, and Beit Furik, east of Nablus.

As of April, Israel holds around 9,792 Palestinians in detention, with 3,498 incarcerated without formal charges.

Wafa news agency reported that Israeli bulldozers began levelling Palestinian-owned agricultural land early this morning between the towns of Kifl Haris and Haris, northwest of Salfit.

Omar Samara, a local official, told Wafa that large areas of farmland were being cleared to expand nearby Israeli settlements.

Israeli authorities have intensified land confiscation and demolition operations across the occupied territories.

Since the formation of Israel’s current far-right government, which includes settler leaders among its ministers, such actions have sharply increased.

In 2024 alone, Israel annexed 24.7 square kilometers (9.54 square miles) of Palestinian land—surpassing the total amount seized over the previous two decades combined.