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Scene. Published by Maan News
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NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces stormed the Beita and Osarin villages in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus in the predawn hours of Friday morning, and detained three Palestinians allegedly in connection with the 19-year-old Palestinian accused of committing a shooting attack in the Israeli city of Petah Tikva on Thursday.

Locals told Ma'an that large numbers of Israeli troops raided the village of Beita at 2 a.m Friday and deployed in the western part of the village before ransacking the home of Sadiq Nasser, 19, who Israeli authorities named as the shooter in the Petah Tikva attack which left at least six people injured.

Israeli soldiers questioned Nasser's family members for hours, locals said, adding that forces had detained Nasser’s father on Thursday shortly after the attack. It remained unclear if Nasser’s father was still in Israeli custody.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that forces also “confiscated” the Israeli-entry permits of Nasser’s family members.

Israeli troops then raided the northern part of Beita and detained Hamza Abd al-Raoof al-Jaghoub, 19, and Adham Lutfi Ghazi, 19, both friends of Nasser's.

The Israeli spokesperson denied reports of al-Jaghoub and Ghazi’s detentions, saying that “additional suspects” were questioned along with the Nasser family, but no one was detained.

Around the same time, Israeli forces stormed the Nablus-area village of Osarin and detained 24-year-old Samir Adili, who Israeli forces said drove Nasser from Beita to the Qalqiliya-area village of Azzun before Nasser crossed into Israel and carried out the reported attack.

According to locals, Israeli soldiers also confiscated Adili's private car.
The Israeli army spokesperson confirmed one detention from Osarin.

Since a wave of violence broke out across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel in October 2015, Israeli forces have regularly carried out extensive detention raids, revoked the Israeli work and entry permits of attackers’ family members, and demolished the homes of alleged and accused attackers in what rights groups have deemed a policy of “collective punishment,” in violation of international law.

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