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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces Thursday detained at least 18 Palestinians during predawn raids across several districts in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli and Palestinian sources.

In the West Bank district of Bethlehem, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian identified by locals as 33-year-old Murad Muhammad Jaddal from the eastern Jabal al-Furdeis area as he attempted to cross a checkpoint near the town of Tuqqu.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that Israeli forces detained two Palestinians in Bethlehem for being alleged Hamas operatives.

Palestinian sources did not provide details on the other Palestinian detainee.

Israeli forces also carried out a mass detention raid in the village of Kafr Qalil in the northern West Bank district of Nablus detaining at least 13 Palestinians, according to locals.

Locals told Ma’an that hundreds of Israeli soldiers raided the village in the early morning hours, searching several houses.

Among those detained were reportedly members of the Palestinian security services, according to locals.

Palestinian medical sources told Ma’an that clashes between Palestinians and soldiers erupted in the village, as several Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation and a youth was injured with light to medium wounds after being struck with a live bullet.

Locals added that Israeli forces raided the house of Ihab Joseph Abed al-Latif Mansour, a member of the Palestinian police.

Thirteen of the detainees were identified as:
1. Talaat Mansour, Head of security at the al-Najah National University.
2. Tamer Khalid Amer.
3. Fadi Khalid Amer.
4. Ahmad Walid Amer.
5. Waddah Abed al-Jalil Amer.
6. Farouq Amer.
7. Suleiman Youssef Mansour.
8. Saad Jamil al-Qinni, First Lieutenant at Palestinian police.
9. Rami Saad al-Qinni, national security member.
10. Bilal Fathi Mansour, national security member.
11. Rabie Murjan.
12. Jassem Farah Amer.
13. Fahd Amer

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that 11 Palestinians were detained in Kafr Qalil.

The spokesperson also said there were additional arrests not reported by Palestinian sources, including one detention in Tulkarem, one in Ramallah, and another in Hebron.

According to prisoners' rights group Addameer, some 7,000 Palestinians were being held in Israeli jails and prisons as of May.

Israeli forces have conducted a weekly average of 88 search and detention operations across the occupied Palestinian territory since the beginning of 2016, according to UN documentation.

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