Israel Places Palestinian Leader Khaleda Jarrar Under Administrative Arrest

Palestinian activist Khaleda Jarrar. (Palestine News and Information Agency WAFA)
Palestinian activist Khaleda Jarrar. (Palestine News and Information Agency WAFA)
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Israel Places Palestinian Leader Khaleda Jarrar Under Administrative Arrest

Palestinian activist Khaleda Jarrar. (Palestine News and Information Agency WAFA)
Palestinian activist Khaleda Jarrar. (Palestine News and Information Agency WAFA)

Israel has transferred prominent Palestinian activist Khaleda Jarrar into administrative detention for six months, announced the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) on Thursday, bringing the total number of females under administrative detention to ten.

Jarrar, aged 60, was apprehended on December 26, with a history of multiple arrests preceding the recent detention, as stated by the PPS.

Utilizing an old British law, Israel has the authority to hold Palestinians in administrative detention for up to six months without trial. This term can be indefinitely renewed based on the alleged existence of a confidential file on the detainee.

"The Occupation released her in 2021. During her arrest, she lost her daughter and was deprived of bidding farewell to her. During her arrest in 2017, she lost her father," the statement read.

Israeli authorities refrained from providing comments on the transfer of multiple detainees, including Jarrar, into administrative detention.

The PPS drew attention to a concerning surge in the number of administrative detainees in Israeli prisons, reaching the highest count since the Intifada in 1987. The figure stood at 3,291 detainees at the end of December, surpassing both sentenced captives and those in pretrial detention.

In a separate statement, the PPS reported that Israeli occupation forces had detained at least 28 citizens in the West Bank on Wednesday and Thursday, including some individuals with prior captivity experience. This brings the total number of arrests since October 7 to 5,810.



Harris Calls for Gaza Ceasefire after Hamas Leader’s Killing

 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan, October 19, 2024. (AFP)
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan, October 19, 2024. (AFP)
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Harris Calls for Gaza Ceasefire after Hamas Leader’s Killing

 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan, October 19, 2024. (AFP)
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan, October 19, 2024. (AFP)

US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip, presented an opportunity for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

"This creates an opening that I believe we must take full advantage of to dedicate ourselves to ending this war and bringing the hostages home," Harris told reporters.

"As it relates to the issues in the Middle East and in particular in that region, it has never been easy. But that doesn't mean we give up. It's always going to be difficult."

The Oct. 7 attack Sinwar planned on Israeli communities a year ago killed around 1,200 people, with another 253 dragged back to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent war has devastated Gaza, killing more than 42,500 Palestinians, with another 10,000 uncounted dead thought to lie under the rubble, Gaza health authorities say.