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Photo:
Scene. Published by Maan News
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RAMALLAH (Ma'an) – Israeli forces raided the central occupied West Bank town of Birzeit twice on Saturday and detained a Palestinian university student from his home, local sources told Ma'an.

Witnesses said that when Israeli forces first raided the town, troops escorted a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian youth from a military vehicle and took him into the local cemetery for unknown reasons.

After roughly an hour, Israeli forces escorted the youth, who remained unidentified, back into the vehicle as soldiers were carrying "black bags" that seemed to have been "hidden in the cemetery," witnesses said. The troops then withdrew from the village.

Witnesses said the raid sparked clashes between locals and the Israeli soldiers, though no injuries were reported.

Hours later, Israeli forces raided the town once again and surrounded a building that serves as a private dormitory for students at Birzeit University, and detained a student whose identity has not been revealed.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an they were looking into confirming the details of the raid.

Israeli forces conduct raids into the occupied West Bank on a daily basis, which are carried out mainly in towns, villages, and refugee camps located in Area A, which should be under full Palestinian Authority control according to the Oslo agreements.