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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained 12 Palestinians in predawn raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday and threatened to carry out retaliatory measures against the village of al-Khader if its residents did not stop throwing stones.

Israeli troops stormed al-Khader south of Bethlehem in the early hours of Wednesday, deploying on rooftops and dropping leaflets in the streets calling on residents to stop throwing stones.

The leaflets threatened to take "tough" actions against residents if stones continued to be thrown at Israeli vehicles on Route 60, a major bypass road through the West Bank that connects nearby Israeli settlements.

The leaflet read: "Following the rise in the stone attacks by youths from the town on route 60, in particular the school area near the football stadium, the Israeli army will use a tough hand against those behind the disturbance.

“Security activity in the village is aimed to reduce acts of violence against civilians who drive on the road, and against residents of the area in attempt to keep security and stability rather than to spoil the atmosphere in the town," the leaflet continued.

"We ask the respectable residents of the town with help from the village council to do their best to prevent disorder in the town so we can avoid muddying life of the residents of al-Khader," the statement ended.

During the raid, Israeli forces ransacked the homes of locals Mahmoud Hussein Mousa and Ahmad Abu al-Hatab Mousa and took photos of their interiors, in what locals said was likely the preparation for their demolition.

They also detained local resident Mahmoud Issa during the raid.
Meanwhile, another 11 Palestinians were detained in predawn raids across the rest of the occupied West Bank.

Five Palestinian minors were assaulted and detained by Israeli forces in Nilin west of Ramallah while they were on their way to school, locals said. One was released while the other four were transferred to a military site in the illegal Israeli settlement of Hashmonim.

Local sources said Israeli forces also detained four students from an-Najah University in Nablus, identified as Abdul-Rahman al-Bishtawi, Bara Ghassan Duqan, Hatem Firas al-Zagha, and Abdullah Jihad Bani Odah, all of whom have been detained before.

Abdul-Rahman al-Wadi was also detained from Nablus, locals said, while Israeli forces stormed several homes in Qablan near Nablus, including the home of Zakarya al-Aqraa, who was killed by Israeli forces in 2014 during a gunfight.

Israeli forces also raided the village of Azzun west of Qalqiliya and detained Muhammad Said Radwan, Tamer Said Radwan, Yousef Saqer Salim, Ghalib Ahmad Salim, and Ayham Marwan Hawari.

Locals told Ma'an that Israeli forces stormed a print and design house in the Bethlehem-district village of Doha, seizing equipment.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an they were looking into the reports.

The Israeli military regularly carries out search-and-arrest raids in the occupied Palestinian territory, with a weekly average of 92 raids since the start of this year, according to UN figures.

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