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Scene. File. Published by Maan News
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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian youth late Thursday afternoon in the Aida refugee camp in the southern occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem.

Locals told Ma’an that Israeli forces fired tear gas, while Palestinian Authority (PA)-owned news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces also used live fire.

According to Wafa, clashes erupted when a Palestinian youth threw a locally made explosive device at the Israeli military base near the Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque, also known as Rachel’s Tomb.

Wafa added that witnesses said soldiers fired at water tanks on the rooftops of two homes to destroy them, and arrested two young men identified as Rani Abu Aker and Saeb Amarneh.

Locals told Ma'an that at least one of the two was released.

An Israeli army spokesperson said they were looking into reports.

Aida, home to an estimated 5,500 Palestinians, is located in northern Bethlehem. Adjacent to the camp lies Israel’s separation wall, which notably isolates Rachel’s Tomb from the Palestinian population, and an Israeli military base.

Israeli forces regularly clash with local youth in the camp in the area around Rachel’s tomb, which sees a near constant military presence and frequent religious visits by ultra-religious Israeli settlers.

The camp has a long history of demonstrations against Israel, including during the 2014 war on Gaza. However, locals told Ma’an in December that the Israeli army noticeably stepped up its use of violence and detentions in the past two or three months, despite there not being an increase in protests or other actions against the Israeli occupation.

On Wednesday afternoon, one day prior to the clashes, Israeli forces violently detained 13-year-old Ali Jawarish off the street in broad daylight in the camp. A video shared on social media shows Israeli soldiers aggressively throwing the boy into the back of a military vehicle.

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