Israeli forces make arrests in violent raids across West Bank
A series of Israeli military raids late last night and this morning targeted Palestinian land across multiple areas of the occupied West Bank, during which at least 14 people were arrested.
Seven people were arrested from the town of Beit Ummar near Hebron after Israeli soldiers ransacked homes and seized jewellery and other valuables at dawn, according to local sources cited by the Wafa news agency.
Two released prisoners were rearrested during separate raids on their homes in towns south of Jenin. Two young men were taken from the city of Qalqilya, while several nearby towns were also raided.
At least one Palestinian was arrested in Tulkarem at dawn, while another arrest was reported in the town of Tuqu, southeast of Bethlehem. Israeli forces also made an arrest during a raid in Nablus.
In Salfit, Israeli forces carried out a large raid during which dozens of young men were detained and interrogated in the field before being released. A large number of Palestinian homes were also searched.
Ex-minister, academic among those arrested in West Bank raids
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting Israeli forces have arrested Nasser al-Din al-Shaer, a former minister and Palestinian academic. Quoting local media, our colleagues reported that forces stormed al-Shaer’s home in Nablus during a spree of dawn raids in the occupied West Bank.
Al-Shaer served as education minister and deputy prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority in the mid-2000s, and was a previously released prisoner, our colleagues added.
Israeli forces arrest over 100 Palestinians in West Bank
We have more information about the wave of dawn Israeli military raids carried out in the occupied West Bank. More than 100 Palestinians have been arrested in total, including many released prisoners, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office (ASRA) said in its latest update.
The hardest-hit areas included the cities of Nablus and Silwad, as well as Deir Jarir town, northeast of Ramallah, ASRA reported, along with “extensive” arrest campaigns in Salfit, Hebron, Bethlehem, Qalqilya and Jenin cities.
In Nablus, about 30 citizens – largely former prisoners – were detained and interrogated before some were released. Another 24 people were arrested in Silwad and Deir Jarir, along with 20 in al-Eizariya town and Abu Dis village and more than 14 in Jericho city.
Israeli forces also stormed homes, stole belongings and pilfered some jewellery, the update said.
