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HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained at least 13 Palestinians in predawn raids across the occupied West Bank, with five detained in the southern town of Beit Ummar, which Israeli forces sealed last week.

A spokesperson for the town's popular committee, Muhammad Ayyad Awad, told Ma'an that large numbers of Israeli forces stormed the town and carried out aggressive house-to-house searches.
They then detained Muhammad Hamdi Abu Mariya, 42, Ahmad Issa Sleibi, 19, Khdeir Yousif Awad, 19, Muhammad Yousif Bahar, 20, and Shihab Jawdat Adi, 20, he said.

Awad said that locals hurled a homemade explosive device at the Israeli soldiers, who responded with live fire, although no injuries were reported.

Later on Monday morning, local officials from Beit Ummar met with officers with Israel's Civil Administration in a bid to relieve tensions in the town.

Dozens of the town's residents have been detained by Israeli forces this year, with a 53-year-old man shot dead in July when soldiers were carrying out a detention raid.

On Friday night, Israeli forces sealed the main entrance to the town -- which is home to more than 15,000 Palestinians -- following an attack on Israeli soldiers nearby.

During Monday's meeting, Palestinians sources said that Israeli Civil Administration officers suggested "appeasement" toward the town, saying that they would remove the checkpoints and reduce restrictions on freedom of movement if locals "cooled" the security situation.

A spokesperson for the Civil Administration could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, in Taffuh, west of Hebron, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian, identified as Noor Raoof al-Tarda, after raiding and ransacking his home, locals said.

Soldiers also stormed the home of Taha Hussein al-Tarda, 18, who is accused of stabbing and wounding an Israeli woman in Jerusalem on Sunday before he was arrested. Locals said that Israeli forces ransacked the home and searched it thoroughly.

In Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, Israeli forces detained 19-year-old Yazan Imad al-Deeba, and stormed the home of at least one other resident.

In Sair village, Israeli forces detained Bilal Yousif al-Asmar and seized his two cars, locals said, while Israeli forces reportedly detained a Palestinian, identified as Suliman Turkey al-Adra, 20, from Bani Naim to Hebron's east.

In the northern West Bank, Israeli forces stormed the al-Makhfiya neighborhood of Nablus and detained 23-year-old Bahaa Abdul-Haq after ransacking his family home, Palestinian security sources said.

They said that Israeli forces also stormed Jenin and detained three Palestinians, named as Adnan Hamarsha, who is disabled, Alaa Hamarsha, and Uweis Nawada.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed only nine Palestinians were detained -- one in Tulkarem, two in Jenin, one in Nablus, two in Beit Ummar, and three others in southern Hebron.

Israeli forces have detained hundreds of Palestinians since a wave of unrest swept the occupied Palestinian territory at the beginning of October. There are now estimated to be some 6,700 Palestinians in Israel's prisons.

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