The Israeli Army Reportedly Turned The Municipal Stadium Into A Makeshift Holding And Interrogation Site. Videos Showed Israeli Soldiers Escorting Bound Palestinians Inside The Town.
The Israeli army detained about 100 Palestinians in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron (al-Khalil) in the southern occupied West Bank, after sealing all of the town’s entrances early on Wednesday, it was reported.
The raid came hours after an illegal Israeli settler was killed and three others were wounded, one critically, in a ramming and stabbing operation at the Gush Etzion junction in the southern West Bank. The operation was carried out by two Palestinians, one of them from Beit Ummar, who were shot dead by Israeli forces, the report noted.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority – the official liaison with Israel – notified it that Imran al-Atrash from Hebron and Walid Mohammed Sabarneh from Beit Ummar were killed by Israeli fire near Bethlehem in the southern West Bank.
DOZENS OF HOMES RAIDED
Israeli forces stormed Beit Ummar early on Wednesday and raided dozens of homes, including the Sabarneh family’s house, damaging its contents, witnesses said.
They said the army launched a broad arrest campaign in the town, detaining about 100 people.
According to the witnesses, the army turned the municipal stadium into a makeshift holding and interrogation site.
Videos circulating online showed Israeli soldiers escorting bound Palestinians inside the town.
ENTRY AND EXIT RESTRICTED
Residents said the army sealed all entrances to Beit Ummar with dirt mounds and iron gates, restricting movement in and out of the area. It was reported that ambulances were unable to enter or exit the town.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), the field interrogations were accompanied by torture and severe beatings, a news agency reported.
The occupation forces also stole money and gold jewelry, confiscated vehicles and electronic devices, turned homes into military points, using residents as human shields, and distributed leaflets containing direct threats against the residents, the report stated.
HANAN AL-BARGHOUTI ABUSED IN DETENTION
Meanwhile, the Prisoners’ Media Office reported that the Palestinian detainee Hanan Al-Barghouti is being subjected to repressive measures, abuse, and continuous starvation in Damon prison.
She also suffers from “the policy of repeated revolving-door detention” which involves the arrest and release of detainees several times, often without charge or trial. The Media Office urged human rights organizations to campaign for her release.
Barghouti was freed from detention in December 2024 and rearrested in April this year, and again in September this year. She was also freed in November 2023 as part of the prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
Hailing from the village of Kobar in Ramallah, Hanan is the sister of Nael Barghouti, who was previously the longest-held Palestinian prisoner until his release and deportation in the February 2025 prisoner exchange.
ESCALATING ATTACKS
The Israeli army has escalated its attacks in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
More than 1,076 Palestinians have since been killed, and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory. More than 20,500 people have also been arrested.
In a landmark opinion last July, 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.
Hidden History -- In The Making 