Description

Photo:
Illustrative Scene. File. Published by Maan News
______

HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces temporarily detained four Palestinian farmers, three of them women, on Wednesday in the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron, a local activist told Ma’an.

Muhammad Ayyad Awwad said that Najah Jabra Rushdi Awwad, 60, Ruweida Bajis Jaber al-Salibi, 55, Khawla Jabra Rushdi Awwad, 43, and Amr Muhammad Abu Maria, 64, were detained by Israeli forces while they were harvesting grape leaves on their lands located near the illegal settlement bloc of Gush Etzion on Wednesday afternoon.

The four Palestinians, all residents of the village of Beit Ummar, were released hours later.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that they were looking into the reports.

The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory has severely affected Palestinians’ access to their lands, as many agricultural areas of the occupied West Bank fall in Area C -- the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control -- or are located near Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.