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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces detained at least 41 Palestinians in raids between Sunday night and early Monday morning across the occupied West Bank and in Israel, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed only 17 total detentions in the occupied West Bank, 13 of whom they said were detained for being suspected of involvement in “violent riots towards Israeli civilians,” while Israeli police confirmed the detention of 16 undocumented Palestinian workers in Israel.

Israeli forces carry out detention raids across the occupied Palestinian territory on a near-nightly basis, with the UN recording an average of 95 weekly raids in the West Bank in 2016, and 100 weekly raids on average thus far in 2017.

According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, 6,500 Palestinians were being held in Israeli prisons as of January.

Southern West Bank detentions

Locals in the southernmost district of Hebron said detention raids were carried out in the villages of Nuba, Yatta, and al-Samu.

Former female prisoner Ihsan Hassan Abd al-Fattah Dababsa, 35, was detained, after Israeli soldiers raided her house Nuba northwest of Hebron city.

During a raid into the town of Yatta south of Hebron, Israeli forces detained the village council deputy Muhammad Mahmoud Ali Najajra, local sources told Ma’an.

Coordinator of the Popular and National Committees Against the Wall and Settlements in the southern West Bank Ratb al-Jabour said that Israeli forces also raided a number of other homes in Yatta in the early morning hours, including the al-Harini family house, forcing residents to stay outside in the cold while soldiers searched the buildings.

A statement released by the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society confirmed that Dababsa and Najajra were detained, and also recorded five other detainees from the Hebron area as 22-year-old Jihad Mahmoud Hmeidat, Maan Hamdallah Hmeidat, 22-year-old Muhammad Moussa Abu al-Rish, 17-year-old Musab Mahmoud Sweiti, and Nour al-Din Muhammad al-Hour.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed three detentions in the Hebron district: one in the village of Surif, one in Beit Awwa, and one in Yatta.

The Israeli army also claimed to have seized ammunition and weapons during the Yatta raid.

In the Bethlehem district, Israeli forces detained 28-year-old Sanad Muhammad Hamamra and Ghassan Muhammad Hamamra, according to PPS.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed four Palestinians were detained in the Bethlehem area: two in Husan, one in Bethlehem city, and one in Beit Sahour.

Central West Bank detentions

In the central occupied West Bank district of Salfit, 21-year-old Bilal Abed Souf was detained from the village of Haris after Israeli forces raided his house after midnight and held all family members in one room, his father Abed Souf told Ma’an.

Local sources said that 57-year-old Kamal Klib was also detained in Haris after Israeli soldiers raiding his house and shop, where fireworks were seized.

Local sources said that 22-year-old Aysar Mumin Bouziya from the nearby village of Kifl Haris was also detained, identifying him as a student of al-Istiqlal University.

The PPS statement confirmed the three detentions in Salfit, as did an Israeli army spokesperson.

According to PPS, 16-year-old Saad Muhammad Naji Daoud and 33-year-old Muhammad Awwad Rawashda were detained near Ramallah.

An Israeli army spokesperson also said one detention was made in the town of al-Eizariya near Jerusalem.

Northern West Bank detentions

In the northern district of Nablus, PPS said two Palestinians were detained, identified as 40-year-old Shadi Bashkar and Kamil Salama.

An Israeli army spokesperson said there were four detentions in the Nablus area: one in Aqraba, two in Askar refugee camp, and one in the Masakin al-Shabiya area in Nablus.

During raids in the district of Qalqiliya, 24-year-old Hamza Naim Hussein and 25-year-old Hamid Muhammad Salim were also detained, according to PPS.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed one detention in the Qalqiliya area, saying it was carried out in Azzun.

Israeli forces also detained 29-year-old Muhammad Salman Sarouji in the Tulkarem district and Ahmad Abu al-Amr from in the northernmost district of Jenin, the PPS statement said.

Detentions in Israel

Meanwhile, according to a statement from Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri, 16 Palestinians were detained Monday morning in the industrial district of Raanana city in central Israel for not having permits required to live and work in the country.

She said the Palestinians were residents of the occupied West Bank from Hebron, Beit Ula, and Qalqiliya, and that they were taken in for interrogation.

Palestinian residents of the West Bank are not allowed to access occupied East Jerusalem or Israel without an Israel-issued permit, and many risk being shot and injured while trying to cross into Israel to work.

Tens of thousands of Palestinian workers are forced to seek a living by working in Israel due to crippling unemployment in the West Bank, as the growth of an independent Palestinian economy has been stifled under the ongoing Israeli military occupation, according to rights groups.

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