A blindfolded Palestinian prisoner in Silwad being paraded through the town by an Israeli soldier. (Photo credit: Issam Rimawi)
At least 42 Palestinians were detained on 6 July across different areas of the occupied West Bank, during large-scale raids by the Israeli army.
The arrest campaign targeted the cities of Tulkarm, Nablus, Jenin, and Hebron. The largest raid took place in the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, where over 30 Palestinians were taken into custody.
Five hundred troops from the Israeli army’s infantry unit stormed Silwad at dawn, along with over 50 military vehicles, and began detaining Palestinians.
Footage circulating on social media showed dozens of blindfolded Palestinians being paraded among the residents of Silwad by the Israeli troops, in what many saw as an attempt to intimidate the local population and dissuade them from resisting the occupation.
VIDEO: Blindfolded Palestinian prisoners being paraded by Israeli soldiers through Silwad town near Ramallah, West Bank
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The town of Silwad, in particular, is strategically important to the Palestinian resistance, as it lies at the heart of several roads that are used on a daily basis by settlers. This has caused fear among the Israeli military that Palestinian operations against settlers could be easily launched from the town.
The Israeli security apparatus is specifically concerned that Silwad could become a hub for armed Palestinian resistance, as the city of Jenin did over recent months.
During simultaneous raids south of Jenin, a 20-year-old Palestinian was killed after being shot by Israeli troops. Rafiq Riyad Ghannam was detained and succumbed to his wounds in Israeli custody.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the army has so far failed to return his body.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said that the killing “comes in light of continued escalation in field executions by the Israeli occupation forces since the beginning of this year and the detention of their bodies, in addition to the arrest and abuse of many citizens after they were injured.”
The Israeli military carries out violent raids across the occupied West Bank on a near daily basis, most notably in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, where renowned Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqla was deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli army on 11 May.
According to a report released last month, around 1,228 Palestinians were imprisoned by Israel in the month of April alone.