Israel arrests four female Birzeit students in West Bank raids
A social media image showing one of the four Birzeit University students detained by Israeli occupation forces during overnight raids in the West Bank, June 2026
The Palestine Chronicle reports on 2 June 2026:
Key Takeaways
- Israeli forces arrested four female Birzeit University students during overnight raids across the Ramallah area.
- The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said the arrests reflect a longstanding policy targeting Palestinian university students, particularly women.
- Rights groups report continued arrests, summonses and administrative detention orders against students across the occupied West Bank.
University Students Arrested
Israeli forces arrested four female students from Birzeit University during overnight raids across the Ramallah area on Tuesday, according to local sources and Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups.
The detainees were identified as Natalie Abu Diah, who was arrested after Israeli forces raided and searched her family home in Birzeit, and Joulan Abu Awad, who was detained after occupation soldiers stormed student housing in the town. Israeli forces also arrested Leila Khalil following a raid on her family home in Beitunia, west of Ramallah, while Sama Safi was detained after troops entered her family’s residence in Ramallah.
Prisoner Group Warns
Commenting on the arrests, Amani Sarahneh, Director of Media and Documentation at the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, said the detentions are part of an ongoing Israeli policy targeting Palestinian university students.
Speaking to Quds News Network, Sarahneh said hundreds of students have been arrested over recent months, including many who were actively enrolled in universities at the time of their detention.
She noted that Birzeit University has been among the institutions most heavily affected by Israeli arrest campaigns, with a number of female students remaining in detention under accusations of “incitement” or administrative detention orders that allow imprisonment without charge or trial.
Repeated Arrests
Sarahneh said many students who were arrested during the early months of the war and later released have subsequently faced re-arrest or repeated summonses by Israeli intelligence services.