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Silwan, Jerusalem (SILWANIC) -- Israeli police, border guards and intelligence agents raided a home in Tsur Baher early Thursday morning, 27 October. Eight men were arrested in the raid on the home of the Attoon and Bkeerat families in the village just south of Jerusalem. They are currently being held at the Russian Compound.

Family head Abu Ahmad Attoon told Silwanic that a huge number of Israeli forces stormed the house and arrested 7 members of his family: Ahmad Attoon Eyad (38), Ra’ed (36), Wa’el Mousa Attoon (43), Mousa Ahmad Attoon (21), his brother Luqman (19), Suhaib Ali Attoon (38) and Ezz al-Dien Mahmoud Attoon (17). Essam Bkeerat was also arrested. The 8 were taken to the Russian Compound in west Jerusalem.

Attoon commented that the raid had been conducted only a few short days after celebrations had swept the village, in honour of those prisoners returned home as part of the Israel-Hamas prisoner swap agreement. A long shadow has been cast over such bonhomie, in light of this new sweep of arrests.

The Jerusalem Prisoners Committee and the families of the returned prisoners have condemned the arrests as a disgraceful attempt to sour a rare moment of celebration for the Palestinian people. The Attoon family’s experience has been particularly bitter-sweet, as Ahmad Attoon’s brother, Legislative Parliament member Mahmoud Ahmad Attoon, was amongst those free as part of the swap deal. Mahmoud had served 19 years in jail under his life sentence.