Middle East Eye
Israel arrests five women activists in the occupied West Bank
Israel arrests five women activists in the occupied West Bank
Submitted by
Fayha Shalash
on
Wed, 07/01/2026 - 13:00
Prisoners' group says Israeli forces have recently escalated arrests of female activists
Palestinians arrive to celebrate the Islamic Hijri New Year at the Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, located inside the Israeli-controlled H2 sector of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, on 16 June 16 2026 (Hazem Bader/AFP)
Off
The Israeli army arrested five women activists in the occupied West Bank early on Wednesday morning. The women, who work with health committees, were arrested after their homes were raided.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club reported that the arrests included Jamila Abu Dahou and Jamila Kanaan from Ramallah, released prisoners Maysar al-Faqih and Faten Hanaysheh from Nablus, and Etaf Bader from Hebron, in addition to 15 other Palestinians.
Abdul Rahman Bader, the husband of 66-year-old Etaf, told Middle East Eye that soldiers stormed their home in Hebron and asked for his wife's ID. Upon recognising her, they informed her that she was under arrest.
Her husband tried to find out why, but the soldiers wouldn't tell him anything and told him to remain calm. They then searched the rooms and opened the wardrobes before taking her to a military vehicle, handcuffing her, and blindfolding her.
“We don’t know where she was taken, and we hope the arrest is temporary and for questioning only,” he said.
Etaf is a member of the administrative board of the Health Work Committees and has been active for 20 years in the field of family support and women’s empowerment.
Escalating Targeting
A statement from the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said Palestinian women were facing escalated targeting through ongoing arrest campaigns, including detention as hostages, night raids on homes, and harsh interrogation methods, in addition to the increasing number of arrests based on what Israel claims is “incitement” on social media.
According to the statement, the number of female prisoners in Israeli jails has risen to 99 after the arrest of the five women.
“Israel continues to carry out daily arrest campaigns throughout the West Bank, as part of a systematic and consistent policy, with the number of arrests exceeding 24,000 since the 2023 war,” the statement added.
Wael Abu al-Saba told MEE that Israeli soldiers violently stormed his home in Nablus around 2.30am, demanding to see the ID cards of everyone present, including his wife, Maysar al-Faqih, 61.
Maysar's three married daughters were visiting with their children, who were awakened by the soldiers' voices and the violence that accompanied the raid.
“The soldiers were brutal in their treatment of us and terrified the children. They didn't search the house; they confiscated her cell phone and took her to their military vehicles after handcuffing her,” he added.
Maysar had been detained two years prior for four months under administrative detention.
After her release, she ceased her activism in the women's rights movement for fear of being re-arrested.
Escalating crackdown
Murad Hanaysheh recounted the arrest of his daughter, Faten, 26, an accountant with the Health Work Committees.
Israeli forces stormed her brother's house in the village of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus, and asked about her. He told them she was at her father's house in the centre of the village.
Israel is carrying out 'reproductive genocide' against Palestinians
Read More »
The soldiers surrounded her father's house and banged violently on the door. When they opened it, the soldiers demanded their ID cards and said they wanted to arrest Faten. She was wearing her pajamas, and they wouldn't allow her to change.
“I asked the soldiers to let her change, but they refused and pushed me back. I told them we are Muslims and we don't accept her going out in her nightclothes, but they pushed me again, slammed the door shut, and took her,” he explained.
The soldiers handcuffed Faten and took her to an unknown location. Hours later, she contacted her family and told them she was at the Salem Detention Centre and would be interrogated by Israeli intelligence.
Murad said the Israeli army raided Faten's office at the Health Work Committees headquarters in Nablus two weeks ago, confiscating documents and a laptop she used for her work.
The Palestinian NGO Network called for intensified efforts and expanded pressure campaigns on the Israeli occupation to stop targeting doctors and health and humanitarian organisations in Palestine, and to activate international accountability mechanisms to secure the release of detained doctors.
In a statement, the Network said that the recent arrest of Dr Mazen al-Rantisi, 71, from Ramallah, after a raid on his home last week, followed days later by the arrest of Dr Khaled Ayash, 63, from the town of Biddu northwest of Jerusalem, constitute an attack on the most basic elements of civil and health work in Palestine.
The Network condemned these arrests, considering them a blatant violation of international law and an extension of the occupation's attempts to destroy the health sector in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and to prevent access to medical services for citizens, amidst the ongoing war, the destruction of the health system, and policies of forced displacement.
Occupation
Ramallah, occupied West Bank
News
Post Date Override
0
Update Date
Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19
Update Date Override
0
3 hours ago
