Description

Businesses and shops are closed in the city of Ramallah during a strike across the Israeli occupied Palestinian West Bank in support
of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike being held in Israeli jails, on June 8, 2014 (AFP/File Abbas Momani)
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by IMEMC News & Agencies

Israeli authorities have arrested some 597 Palestinians from the West Bank governorates, including Jerusalem, since the beginning of August, the Palestine Prisoners Society (PPC) said, Saturday.

According to WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency, the PPS stated that arrest operations were concentrated mostly in Jerusalem and Hebron, with 190 Palestinians and 102 others arrested from Jerusalem and Hebron, respectively, in what were labeled as "the cruelest arrest operations launched since mid June".

The PPC said that 74 Palestinians were taken from Ramallah and Al-Bireh, 63 from Jenin, 54 from Bethlehem, 45 from Nablus, 23 from Tulkarem, 22 from Salfit, 11 from Qalqilya, 7 from Jericho and 6 from Tubas.

It was pointed out that among the prisoners were two girls who were arrested from Jerusalem and Ramallah.

Following the arrest of over 2,000 Palestinians in mid June, the total number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails has now jumped to over 7,000.

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RAMALLAH (AFP) -- Israeli forces detained 597 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in August, raising the number of Palestinians in Israeli prisons to more than 7,000, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said.

The majority of the arrests took place in East Jerusalem and Hebron, which is situated in the south of the West Bank, the NGO, based in Ramallah, said in a statement.

Many were arrested during demonstrations in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which was the focus of a deadly 50-day war between Israel and Hamas, the de facto ruler of Gaza.

Since the June kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the southern West Bank, at least 2,000 Palestinians have been questioned and detained, according to the NGO.

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