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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained at least 11 Palestinians, including at least four minors, during predawn raids Wednesday across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources, with the Israeli army also claiming to have shut down weapons manufacturing workshops during raids in Hebron.

Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps are a daily occurrence in the occupied West Bank. The UN recorded an average of 95 weekly raids in the occupied West Bank in 2016, and 78 weekly raids on average thus far in 2017.

Northern West Bank

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said that three Palestinians were detained from the Nablus district in the northern West Bank, and identified the three as Huthaifa Khater, Khalid Rasmi Edeili, 18, and 17-year-old Amid Ibrahim Edeili.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed to Ma’an two detentions from the Nablus district.

The spokesperson also mentioned one detention from the village of Aqaba in the Tubas district, also in the northern West Bank. PPS mentioned no detentions from Tubas.

Central West Bank & East Jerusalem

In the central West Bank, PPS reported that Hamza Fouad Abu al-Hajj was detained from the Deir al-Sudan village in the Ramallah district.

Meanwhile, locals in the Salfit district told Ma’an that overnight, Israeli forces raided Salfit city, as well as the the nearby villages of Kifl Haris, Haris, and Yasuf, in order to carry out training activities. No detentions were reported.

An Israeli army spokesperson, who did not acknowledge the detention in Deir al-Sudan, said they would look into reports of the raids in Salfit.

PPS added that three “children” were detained from occupied East Jerusalem. The minors were identified as Ibrahim al-Zaghal, 13, Muhammad Shweiki, 16, and Hamdi Jaber, 16.

Southern West Bank

From the Bethlehem district, PPS reported that Israeli forces detained Awadallah al-Umour, Wael Ideis, and 30-year-old Moussa Muhammad Abd al-Rabbu, a former prisoner who was released from Israeli custody three months ago.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed three detentions from the Bethlehem district, saying one was made in Bethlehem city, and two in the Bethlehem-area village of Tuqu.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the Israeli army closed a blacksmith's workshop in Hebron city and confiscated lathing tools from two other workshops in Hebron and the nearby town of Yatta, during overnight raids of five different workshops which were allegedly manufacturing weapons.

An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed the reports to Ma'an, saying the operation was part of the army’s “widespread operation against illegal weaponry in Judea and Samaria,” using Israeli terminology to refer to the occupied Palestinian territory.

According to the spokesperson, three “weapons manufacturing workshops” were shut down, while five “weapon-making machines” and multiple weapon parts were seized.

One of the workshops was identified by locals as belonging to Taysir Abu Sbeih from the southern area of Hebron City.

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