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An Israeli soldier fires a tear gas canister towards Palestinian protesters following Friday prayers on Feb. 13, 2015, at the Aida refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. (AFP/Mousa al-Shaer, File
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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces early Wednesday shot and injured 14 Palestinians and detained 18 others in overnight search and arrest raids, locals and Israel’s army said.

Ten Palestinian youths were shot with live fire and rubber-coated steel bullets when clashes broke out in al-Duheisha refugee camp near Bethlehem, locals told Ma’an.

Several were detained from the camp including Yazan Juaidi, Omar Shamroukh as well as Hamdi and Muhammad Marouf.

In the Nablus-area village of Beita Israeli military forces detained Salam Zahi abu Mazen, 20, after raiding his home, locals said.
Soldiers also detained Mahmoud Mustafa Aseeda, 24, and Muhammad Yousef al-Nadi, 25, from the Askar refugee near Nablus, and Abdul-Hafiz Awwad, 20, was detained from Orta village east of Nablus.

Nablus’ Balata refugee camp was also raided by Israeli forces, locals added.

Four students from Birzeit University were detained from the city of Ramallah and neighboring town of Birzeit. The detainees were identified as Saif al-Islam Daghlas, speaker of the students' union at the university, as well as Ehab Nasser, Ibrahim Jack, and Musallam al-Barghouthi.

Meanwhile in Hebron, Israeli forces ransacked the home of Abdul-Musen Shaher Hasouna, damaging the interior, before photojournalist Thaer Ziad Fakhouri and Subhi al-Qawasmi were detained from other Hebron neighborhoods.

Israeli forces raided Taffouh village west of Hebron and detained Adham Sarhan al-Tarda, locals added.

Two Palestinians were killed, four injured by live fire, and three were detained in the Qalandiya refugee camp overnight Wednesday, according to locals.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed 18 total detentions throughout the occupied West Bank overnight Wednesday, seven of whom were “Hamas operatives.”

Search and arrest raids -- this year’s weekly average numbering over 80 according to UN documentation -- have increased since the beginning of October following an escalation of violence that has continued well into December.

Well over 2,000 Palestinians were detained during October and November, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Society.

The group says that detainees include high rates of family members of those involved in attacks or demonstrations against Israeli forces and settlers, marking a new trend in who authorities are targeting for arrest.

Human Rights Watch last year criticized Israel for large-scale violations carried out during arrest campaigns. Violations included arbitrary arrest, excessive use of force against residents who did not pose sufficient threat for the lethal use of force, and damage to property and homes.

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