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ERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces carried out a massive detention raids into Palestinian communities in Jerusalem before dawn on Thursday for the second day in a row, detaining at least 23 Palestinians and assaulting locals -- including a minor, while demolition orders were delivered to dozens of Palestinian homes during raids on Wednesday.

Israeli forces raided the Shufat refugee camp in the Jerusalem district of the occupied West Bank as well as the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, located just south of Shufat beyond Israel’s separation wall.

Israeli forces reportedly raided Shufat from several entrances and were deployed throughout the refugee camp’s narrow streets as a helicopter flew overhead.

The raids sparked clashes between youths of the camp and Israeli forces.
Spokesperson of the Fatah movement in Jerusalem, Thaer Fasfous, said that Israeli forces held some 15 youths near the entrance of the refugee camp during the clashes.

Israeli forces raided several homes belonging to the Alqam, al-Zalbani, Khashan, Abu Zneid, Diab, al-Walaji and Abu Odeh families, searching buildings and assaulting residents.

Fasfous added that clashes erupted in several areas in the refugee camp and continued for hours.

Israeli forces assaulted 16-year-old Uday al-Dabet, severely bruising him.

Locals identified three of those detained as former prisoner Sam al-Araj, Nasser al-Tirsh, and Mumen Mafarjeh.

Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said in a statement that raids in Shufat and Issawiya uncovered ammunition and other weaponry, while 23 suspects were detained for alleged “violent crimes, terrorism, drug-related offenses, theft, and possession of illegal weapons.”

She did not distinguish between the raids and detentions made in Shufat refugee camp and Issawiya.

Raids in Shufat the day prior also provoked fierce, hours-long clashes, when Israeli forces detained eight Palestinians.

Thaer Fasfous said at the time that Israeli soldiers also tore down posters commemorating residents of the camp who have been killed by Israeli forces, which were put up at the entrance to the refugee camp.

Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps are a daily occurrence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most raids typically take place at night or in the early morning hours.

Following a raid into Shufat refugee camp earlier this month, Israeli forces shot and killed resident of the camp Mustafa Nimr while critically injuring his brother-in-law Ali Nimir as the two were driving home on the main road outside the camp.

Israeli authorities initially claimed the two were attempting a car ramming attack on Israeli forces stationed there, but later admitted they killed Mustafa Nimir “by mistake.”

Despite the admission, Israeli forces have blamed Ali’s erratic driving for Mustafa’s death, and continue to detain him as he recovers from his serious gunshot injuries.

The detention raids also came amid surge in violence that began a week ago, which has seen seven Palestinians -- including two minors -- shot dead, and three seriously injured by Israeli forces.

All but one were shot while allegedly committing or attempting to commit attacks on uniformed Israeli soldiers or police, while the other was fatally shot during a military raid as Israeli soldiers attempted to detain the man.

While the majority of the incidents have occurred in the Hebron district of the West Bank, two Israeli police officers and a Palestinian were wounded on Monday morning in East Jerusalem after the Palestinian carried out a stabbing attack against the Israeli security forces, while a Jordanian citizen was shot and killed outside of Jerusalem’s Old City, with no Israeli injured in the incident.

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