Gaza (National Times) The Israeli army has arrested at least 16 people across the occupied West Bank, according to the Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, cited by the Wafa news agency.

The raids took place in Ramallah, Qalqilya, Hebron, Nablus, Bethlehem and Jericho, the report said, adding that the Israeli army damaged some homes.

Mass arrests have become a nearly daily occurrence in the Palestinian territories since the start of the war with an estimated 9,600 Palestinians now in Israeli jails, according to rights groups.

The Israeli army says its actions are an attempt to root out activities of Palestinian armed groups with whom Israeli soldiers have often exchanged fire during their incursions.