The Zionist regime's military forces have arrested at least 650 Palestinians since the beginning of this month, amid ongoing clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troopers in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem). The Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, in a statement released on Saturday, said most of the detainees are younger than 20 years old, and they were mainly arrested during scuffles with Israeli soldiers or in overnight raids on Palestinian houses across the occupied territories. The committee further said a great number of the arrested Palestinians have experienced humiliation and mistreatment while being held at detention facilities for hours, Press TV reported. Abdullah Masalma, a 22-year-old Palestinian man from the town of Dura, which lies 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) southwest of al-Khalil (Hebron), said he was beaten along with his 16-year-old brother, Udai, while in custody. Masalma said he sustained a serious head injury as a result, and was left bleeding for a long time before he and his brother were transferred to an Israeli military base, where they were beaten once again, and left blindfolded and handcuffed. The young Palestinian man's brother also sustained a serious injury to his hand. The prisoners' rights body added that three Palestinian inmates, who had suffered gunshot wounds during recent skirmishes in the occupied Palestinian lands, were initially interrogated before being moved to Israeli hospitals. Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has called the recent spate of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli military troopers in West Bank and East al-Quds over the past few days an "Intifada (uprising)" against the Tel Aviv regime. "We are calling for the strengthening and increasing of the Intifada... It is the only path that will lead to liberation," Haniyeh said during a sermon to Palestinian worshipers attending Friday prayers at a mosque in Gaza City. "Gaza will fulfill its role in the al-Quds Intifada and it is more than ready for confrontation," he pointed out. On October 8, UN High Commissioner for Human Right Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein expressed extreme concern over the escalation of the tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories, urging an end to the violence. The UN official also warned about the rising number of the Palestinians injured by live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas.
