Ramallah, occupied West Bank - Israel has continued with a series of arrests in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as it carries out a prisoner release with Hamas, the Gaza-based armed group. Since the truce between Israel and Hamas began on Friday, 150 Palestinian prisoners, including 117 children and 33 women, have been released by Israel. In response, Hamas has released 69 captives, including 51 Israelis and 18 individuals from other nations.

However, despite the ongoing prisoner release, Israel has also intensified arrests in the first four days of the ceasefire. At least 133 Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the West Bank have been arrested during this time, as reported by Palestinian prisoner associations.

Amany Sarahneh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners Society, emphasized that these arrests are a central policy of occupation against Palestinians and are meant to restrict any form of resistance. Sarahneh noted that these arrests are not limited to the past four days but have been a daily practice, and even more arrests were expected during this period.

The 51-day Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, resulted in the death of around 1,200 people. Since then, Israel has killed over 15,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, with the majority being women and children. The recently extended four-day truce will see the release of an additional 60 Palestinians and 20 captives.

Under Israel's 56-year military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli forces regularly conduct nighttime raids into Palestinian homes and arrest individuals, usually around 15 to 20 people on calmer days. From October 7 onwards, the number of Palestinians in Israeli custody has more than doubled, going from 5,200 to over 10,000, including 4,000 Gaza laborers who were later released back into Gaza.

Since October 7, Palestinian prisoner lawyers and monitoring groups have documented 3,290 arrests in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Notably, Eyad Banat, a 35-year-old who was arrested while streaming live on TikTok, was subsequently released. The streets of Ramallah have been filled with people welcoming the freed prisoners since the truce began.

However, the concern for Palestinian prisoners does not end with their release. It is common for many of those freed to be rearrested by Israeli forces in the days, weeks, months, and even years following their release. Past prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas in 2011 saw dozens of individuals rearrested and their sentences reinstated.

Amany Sarahneh expressed uncertainty over whether Israel has provided any guarantees regarding the prevention of rearrests for those who have been released. She emphasized that there are no guarantees when dealing with the occupation, as released prisoners remain vulnerable to rearrest at any point.

Since October 7, the conditions for Palestinians under arrest or in detention have deteriorated significantly. Reports indicate severe beatings, with six Palestinian prisoners having died in Israeli custody. Released women and children have testified to the abuse they experienced in Israeli prisons.

Various videos have surfaced in recent weeks, showing Israeli soldiers physically assaulting and humiliating detained Palestinians who have been blindfolded, cuffed, and partially or completely stripped. These images have drawn comparisons to the torture tactics employed by United States forces at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in 2003.

Rights groups have also documented that medical attention for Palestinian prisoners was suspended for at least the first week after October 7. Family visits and routine lawyer visits were halted, further exacerbating the already dire conditions. Overcrowded cells now accommodate double the intended number of detainees, with many forced to sleep on the floor without mattresses.