Doctor and nurse amongst five Palestinian women arrested by Israel in occupied West Bank
Palestinians arrive to celebrate the Islamic Hijri New Year at the Ibrahimi Mosque, located inside the Israeli-controlled H2 sector of occupied Hebron, 16 June 2026
Fayha Shalash reports in Middle East Eye on 1 July 2026:
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.