Description

Photo:
Illustrative scene. (File) Published by Maan News
_____

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces raided several areas across the southern occupied West Bank between Saturday night and Sunday morning and detained at least five Palestinians, including two minors.

Israeli forces raided the town of Beit Fajjar south of Bethlehem and detained two teenage boys, identified by local sources as 16-year-old Daoud Muhammad Thawabta and 16-year-old Diyaa Muhammad Deriyya.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed two detentions were made in Beit Fajjar.

Locals in Beit Fajjar said the village has been targeted by an intensification in Israeli army raids lately, estimating that some 50 teenagers have been detained in recent weeks.

In the town of Beit Ummar north of Hebron city, local activist Muhammad Ayyad Awwad said Israeli forces raided the al-Bayada neighborhood and detained 30-year-old Khaldoun Abd al-Qadir Ikhlayyil after ransacking his home.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed a detention was made in Beit Ummar.

Locals in Bani Naim east of Hebron said Israeli forces detained 49-year-old Amin Ali Manasra after ransacking his house as well as his brother's house.

An unidentified Palestinian was also detained in the town of Surif north of Hebron, according to locals and the Israeli army spokesperson.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, which documents overnight raids by Israeli forces, said in a statement on Thursday that it had recorded the detention of 100 Palestinians, including 18 minors, in the few days since the beginning of 2017.

Israeli forces carry out detention raids across the occupied Palestinian territory on a near-nightly basis, with the UN recording some 178 raids in the West Bank between Dec. 13 and 26, 2016.

According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, 7,000 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons as of October, 400 of whom were minors.

Features