On Wednesday, the Israeli army announced that it had arrested dozens of Birzeit University students while they were in the village of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank. The army stated in a report, "Following intelligence and military efforts, the IDF, the Shin Bet, and border police arrested dozens of activists from the Hamas student bloc at Birzeit University in Turmus Ayya."
The report detailed that "a number of activists are directly involved in terrorist activities, including money transfers, incitement, and organizing Hamas activities in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), and they have been transferred for investigation to security agencies." Local sources in Turmus Ayya mentioned that the students were on a solidarity visit to the family of Montaser Shalabi, whose house was demolished by the army days ago after he was accused of killing a settler by shooting him at a military checkpoint several months ago.
The sources added that the number of detained students is approximately 40. Birzeit University expressed its concern regarding the detention of a group of its students at the entrance of Turmus Ayya, where they were subjected to Israeli occupation forces, who seized the vehicle transporting them, resulting in their arrest and subsequent transfer in a private vehicle from the village entrance to an unknown location. The university stated, "The university sees Israeli occupation policies as violations of all international laws and norms that guarantee students' right to movement, and a violation of all international standards that protect their dignity and freedom."
