Journalist Hamad Ali Taqatqa, 31 (Radio Baladna) was arrested by the Israeli forces on Tuesday, 26 December after bursting into his house in the south of Bethlehem in the West Bank. Without any charges freelance journalist Adeeb Al-Atrach was also arrested on the same day.  

On Tuesday, the Israeli army abducted fifteen Palestinian citizens from the Bethlehem governorate in the southern occupied West Bank, including two women, a journalist, and two former prisoners.

In Beit Fajjar town, southwest of Bethlehem, soldiers abducted the journalist, Hamad Ali Taqatqa, 31, Ahmed Faisal Taqatqa, 47, Imran Abd Rabbuh Thawabta, 24, Muhammad Imad Thawabta, Muhammad Khaled Taqatqa, Muhammad Salah Diriyah, Adi Maher Thawabta, Hassan Mahmoud Taqatqa, Fadi Muhammad Taqatqa, and Youssef Muhammad Taqatqa.

North of Bethlehem, in the Aida refugee camp, the army invaded and searched the homes of two women, Linda Mounir Jaara, 30, and Yasmine Abu Sorour, 25, in addition to Musa Jaara, 26, before abducting them.

The military incursion sparked protests among Palestinian youths, while soldiers fired live rounds and tear gas canisters without causing casualties.

Southwest of the city, Israeli forces abducted the two former prisoners, Rabie Rizq Atwan, 30, and Akram Ibrahim Salah, 40, after storming and searching their homes in Al-Khader town.

According to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, the total number of arrests since October 7, 2023 has risen to 4,785 which include those who were abducted from their homes, at military roadblocks, those who were forced to turn themselves in as a result of coercive measures, and those who were held hostage.