Gaza City, November 6 (RHC)-- Israel has arrested scores of Palestinians, including prominent 22-year-old activist Ahed Tamimi, in several raids in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds.
A spokesman for the Israeli army claimed on Monday that Tamimi was arrested “on suspicion of inciting violence and terrorist activities in the town of Nabi Salih” near the city of Ramallah. “Tamimi was transferred to Israeli security forces for further questioning.”
She was arrested as she reportedly threatened settlers in a post on her Instagram account.
Tamimi has a long record of protesting as a youngster against Israeli atrocities and policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. The 17-year-old Palestinian icon was detained by Israeli forces in December 2017 after a video of the curly-haired teen kicking and slapping two armed Israeli soldiers in protective gear went viral on social media. Israeli military forces had raided her home to arrest her brother.
An Israeli court handed down an eight-month prison sentence to the Palestinian teenage protester for “attacking” Israeli forces.
Tamimi and her mother Nariman were released from an Israeli prison after serving an eight-month sentence on assault and incitement charges in July 2018 and arrived home to a hero’s welcome.
After her release, Tamimi vowed to continue the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation.
Israeli forces have on various occasions arrested members of Tamimi’s family, including brothers and parents, for their opposition to Israel’s invasion of Palestinian lands.
Israeli forces shot dead her uncle Rushdie al-Tamimi in Nabi Saleh village in 2012.
Her aunt Bassima al-Tamimi was beaten to death by an Israeli policeman in 1993 while attending her son's trial session at the time.
Tamimi was one of dozens arrested overnight.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Commission and the Prisoner’s Society said 70 Palestinians were arrested in the overnight raids in several parts across the occupied West Bank and al-Quds, including Ramallah, al-Khalil, Qalqilya, Nablus, and in the al-Shufat refugee camp.
Ra’fat Alian, a senior member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, and Marouf Rifai, an adviser to the Palestinian Authority, were also among the arrestees.
Since the start of Israel’s aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip last month, the West Bank has seen a rise in violence from Israeli forces and settlers that claimed the lives of more than 150 Palestinians.
Israel has also intensified its arrest campaigns in the West Bank, detaining more than 2,000 people since October 7, including at least 49 women and 17 journalists.
Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.
According to the Gaza-based health ministry, at least 9,770 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes, 70 percent of whom are women and children.
