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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces detained at least nine Palestinians, including a former Palestinian Authority minister, in military raids across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on Monday.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that three alleged “Hamas operatives” were detained in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron.

According to official Palestinian news agency Wafa, former Palestinian Minister of Local Government Issa Jaabari was one of the three.

The Israeli army spokesperson added that one “Hamas operative” was detained in the town of Beit Ummar north of Hebron, while an additional detention was carried out elsewhere in the Hebron district, also an alleged Hamas operative.

Local activist Muhammad Awwad said several other homes were also raided and ransacked during the raid in Beit Ummar.

In the town of Nahhalin in the southern district of Bethlehem, three Palestinians were detained, according to the Israeli army.

The Israeli army spokesperson also told Ma’an that one Palestinian was detained in the town of Jayyus in the northern Qalqiliya district.

According to Wafa, Israeli police also detained two brothers, both minors, during clashes Monday in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

Violent clashes reportedly erupted between Palestinian residents and Israeli police who indiscriminately fired concussion grenades and tear gas canisters at homes, causing dozens suffocation cases.

An Israeli police spokesperson told Ma'an they were unfamiliar of reports of clashes in Silwan.

Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps are a daily occurrence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The United Nations recorded an average of 95 weekly raids in the occupied West Bank in 2016, and 70 weekly raids on average thus far in 2017.

According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, 6,300 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons as of March, including 300 minors, 61 women, and 500 under administrative detention.
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Israeli Soldiers Abduct Three Palestinians In Hebron, Two In Bethlehem

by IMEMC News

Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, three Palestinians in Hebron governorate, and two in Bethlehem, after the army invaded several homes and searched them.

Mohammad Awad, a media activist from Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, said the soldiers invaded ‘Aseeda, the ath-Thaher and downtown areas, and searched many homes.

Awad added that the soldiers abducted an engineer, identified as Ramzi Mohammad Sabarna, 24, from his home in Aseeda area, and took him to Etzion military base and security center, north of Hebron.

In Hebron city, the soldiers abducted Yousef Abu Hussein, 30, and former government minister Issa Ja’bari, after breaking into their homes and searching them.

The soldiers also installed many roadblocks at the entrances of Sa’ir and Halhoul towns, in addition to Hebron’s northern road, before stopping and searching dozens of cars, and interrogated many Palestinians while inspecting their ID cards.

In addition, the soldiers invaded Nahhalin village, in the West Bank governorate of Bethlehem, searched homes and abducted Ehad Mahmoud Dannoun, 18, and Mohammad Naim Fannoun, 23.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli navy ships attacked many Palestinian fishing boats and abducted six fishermen.

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