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JENIN (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces detained at least 14 Palestinians in predawn raids across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.

Palestinian security sources told Ma’an that two young Palestinian men from the northern West Bank town of Ya’bad near Jenin were detained after they were stopped for inspection at an Israeli military checkpoint near the town of Arraba.

They were identified as Muhannad Suleiman Amarna, an officer in the Palestinian national security service, and Majid Nizar Atatra.

Israeli forces also raided the northern West Bank village of Awarta east of Nablus at dawn and detained a young Palestinian man, identified as 22-year-old Mutasim Nabil Awwad, an undergraduate student in his senior year at An-Najah National University.

In Duheisha refugee camp south of Bethlehem, undercover Israeli forces using vehicles with Palestinian registration plates detained a young man identified as Musab Hamamda.

An Israeli army spokesperson said that at least 14 Palestinians were detained in raids overnight, including nine in Ramallah district, three in Bethlehem, one in Hebron, and one in Qalqiliya.

She said that two Palestinians detained northwest of Ramallah and one north of Ramallah were "Hamas operatives," while the other 11 were detained for "illegal activity."

According to Palestinian prisoners rights organization Addameer, the Israeli army detained 500 Palestinians in December.

At least 6,800 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli custody, a number which has jumped significantly since a wave of unrest swept the occupied Palestinian territory at the beginning of October.
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by IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli soldiers have kidnapped, overnight and at dawn Thursday, at least fourteen Palestinians in different parts of the occupied West Bank, while the army also claimed locating combat materials in Hebron.

sraeli sources said the army located guns, magazines and rocket launchers in Abu Sneina neighborhood in the southern West bank city of Hebron.

The soldiers also invaded and searched many homes in Hebron city, and several nearby villages and towns, and interrogated dozens of residents.

In addition, the soldiers invaded Silwad town, east of Ramallah, searched homes and kidnapped Ali Nassar, 55, Saleh Anwar Salim, Mohammad Adnan Hamed, Abdul-Karim Taiseer Hamed, in addition to Afeef and his brother Khaled Ayyad.

Eyewitnesses said the soldiers searched more than 25 homes in the town, also used military dogs in the search, causing excessive damage, and confiscated several Palestinian flags, in addition to confiscating toy guns.

Owners of some of the invaded homes have been identified as Adnan Abdul-Jaleel Hamed, Ziad Abdul-Jaleel Hamed, Hasan Mer’ey, Mohammad Mer’ey, Ayman Mer’ey, Da’as Hamed, Abdul-Nasser Hamada, Nader Hamada, Abdul-Rauf ‘Atsha, Yousef Najjar, Ahmad Sarraj, Yasser Abu Zeina, Ahmad Afeef, Mohammad Afeef, Ziad Hamed, Ayyoub Hamed, Ali Nimir Hamed, Mohammad Nimir Hamed, Ali Nassar and Samed Hammad.

Also in Ramallah, the soldiers kidnapped one Palestinian in al-Biereh, another in Rantis village, and a third resident in Beit Rima town.

In addition, the army installed a roadblock at the ‘Arraba junction, in the northern West Bank district of Jenin, and kidnaped Majed Nizar Atatra.

The soldiers stopped and searched dozens of cars, and interrogated the passengers while inspecting their ID cards.

The WAFA news agency said the soldiers smashed the windshield of Atatra’s car, before abducting him.

The soldiers also kidnapped Mohannad Hatem ‘Amarna, 34, from Ya’bad town, southwest of Jenin, after stopping him on a sudden roadblock on the Jenin-Nablus road.

In addition, the soldiers kidnapped one Palestinian in Bidya village, in the northern West Bank district of Qalqilia, two in al-‘Ezariyya town, east of Jerusalem, and one in the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem.

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