IOF Arrests 10 Palestinians in West Bank Raids

By Staff, Agencies

“Israeli” Occupation Forces [IOF] have detained at least 10 Palestinians in several violent raids across the occupied West Bank, including al-Quds.

The Palestinian official Wafa news agency reported that the raids took place overnight on Wednesday.

Director of the Palestine Prisoner’s Society [PPS] Office, Kamal Bani-Odeh, said the “Israeli” soldiers stormed and ransacked houses in the Palestinian village of Wadi al-Far’a, situated in the northeastern West Bank, and arrested a father and his two sons.

They also forced their way into Far’a refugee camp, injuring Palestinian teens by live ammunition during confrontations with protesting locals.

In the northern West Bank town of al-Yamun, a similar military raid was reported, with the regime forces detaining two Palestinians.

“Israeli” troops also stormed Deir Abu Mash'al village, where they took another Palestinian into custody.

They further searched several houses in the town of Beit Ummar and detained two teenagers, aged 16 and 17.

Additionally, “Israel”i policemen rounded up two Palestinian brothers from East al-Quds’ Silwan neighborhood.

The “Israeli” military frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the West Bank under the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

More than 7,000 Palestinians are held in “Israeli” jails. Hundreds have been incarcerated under the practice of the so-called “administrative detention”, which allows holding Palestinian inmates in “Israeli” prisons without trial or charge.

Also on Wednesday, “Israeli” authorities demolished eight commercial facilities belonging to the Palestinian al-Khatib family in Hizma town near al-Quds.

The town is located between an “Israeli” military checkpoint, the so-called separation wall and the four settlements of Neve Yaakov, Pisgat Zeev, Anatot, and Geva Binyamin.

Earlier, Regavim settler group had filed a petition to an “Israeli” court to raze Hizma business premises, claiming that the structures lie within the borders of al-Quds' municipality. However, the court turned down the petition.

Palestinian lawyer Midhat Dhiba said the “Israeli” authorities issued new demolition orders on Tuesday afternoon and carried them out within 24 hours while courts were closed for judicial leave.

“The government and the settler associations are two sides of the same coin, and each of them masters abuse of the Palestinians,” Dhiba added.

Meanwhile, in the village of Sebastia, near the city of Nablus, the IOF for the second time demolished an agricultural facility.

Elsewhere, in Khirbet Ibzaiq, a Palestinian Bedouin community in the north of the Jordan Valley, “Israeli” forces demolished four housing tents and seven cattle sheds.

“I have seven children, the youngest is seven months old, all of them today are with no shelter,” said Nael Turkman, whose tent was among those destroyed.

“This is not the first time [‘Israeli’ forces] destroy my tents,” he said. “Nine years ago, they’ve destroyed my tents and my cattle sheds.”

In Wadi Rahaal village, south of Bethlehem, the IOF demolished five agricultural premises.