Israeli soldiers arrested over 1,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the month of October alone, according to media reports Sunday.

The arrests, which the Palestinian Prisoners Society calls “kidnappings,” come amid growing clashes in the region in past weeks after Israeli forces banned Palestinians from entering the Old City and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which lead to waves of protests.

The PPS, a nongovernmental organization that represents detainees and their families, report that most of the arrests took place in the city of al-Khalil (Hebron), one of the largest cities in the West Bank, which is divided due to the large presence of Jewish settlers.

Press TV quoted the head of the PPS, Qadoura Fares, explaining that even if the current levels of Palestinian activism were reduced, the Israeli detentions would continue.

“The Israeli soldiers have lately focused their attention on the protesting Palestinians in both al-Khalil and Jerusalem, al-Quds which are hosting the settlers. We think that even if the uprising comes down, Israel’s arrest campaign will continue as it is part of Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians.”

The arrests include a raid Wednesday night, when over 70 Palestinians were arrested in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The PPS said Israeli authorities had arrested 959 Palestinians: 615 in the occupied West Bank; 184 in occupied East Jerusalem; and 172 from Arab villages inside Israel.

The nongovernmental organization added that at least 300 of those who have been arrested are minors.

Another report by International Middle East Media Center said at least 100 children were arrested and placed in the Ofer prison in October, 40 percent of whom are under the age of 16, some as young as 13. Ofer is an Israeli detention center located in the West Bank near the capital Ramallah, one of three Israeli controlled prisons in the occupied area.

This number represents a 400 percent increase of child detainees, reported the IMEMC.

The latest wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence started when officials temporarily blocked Palestinian entrance into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, considered the third holiest site for Muslims and a principal point of worship.

The move sparked a wave of protests by Palestinians, which lead to the fatal stabbing of two ultra-orthodox Jews. Israeli forces responded by increasing their use of force and killing a 12-year-old Palestinian and another two teenagers, as well as injuring more than 450 others, in various clashes in the West Bank.

Israeli forces also demolished the homes of two Palestinian families accused of attacking Israelis last year, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a harsh response to “terrorism” in the West Bank.