Israeli forces arrest 15 Palestinians in West Bank

Israeli forces arrested 15 Palestinians, including former prisoners, a journalist, and a woman, in a series of raids across the occupied West Bank early Thursday morning.

The Palestinian news agency “Sanad” reported that Israeli forces re-arrested former prisoner Ahmed al-Saifi early Thursday morning after raiding and searching his family’s home in Birzeit, north of Ramallah in the central West Bank, just one day before his wedding.

Al-Saifi had been released several months ago as part of a prisoner exchange with the Palestinian resistance, after spending 16 consecutive years in Israeli prisons.

Local Palestinian sources indicated that Israeli forces also arrested Ward Basel al-Barghouthi after raiding and searching his family’s home in Kafr Ein, northwest of Ramallah in the central West Bank. Sources indicated that Israeli forces arrested Muslim Abu Aliya during a raid on the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, early Thursday morning.

The Sanad News Agency reported that Israeli forces arrested journalist Musab Qafisha after raiding his home in Hebron, in the southern West Bank.

The agency added that Israeli forces arrested Hassan Muhammad Ahmad Tafesh and Amir Adnan Ahmad Tafesh after raiding their homes in the town of Ash-Shuyukh, northeast of Hebron. It noted that the Israeli forces confiscated two vehicles from the town during the raid.

Israeli forces also raided the city of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank and several neighborhoods and refugee camps in Nablus early Thursday morning, storming and searching homes and apartment buildings; no arrests were reported.

Palestinian local sources stated that Israeli forces fired live ammunition, stun grenades, and tear gas at young men during a raid near the academy in the Rafidia neighborhood, west of Nablus. The same sources reported that a young man was wounded by Israeli gunfire early this morning during a raid on the vicinity of An-Najah National University and the town of Beit Wazan, in the city of Nablus.

The sources added that “Israeli forces stormed a house in the Khallat al-Amoud area, east of Nablus, searched it, ransacked its contents, and arrested Abu George Jammous.”

For its part, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office stated that Israeli arrests in the occupied West Bank included: Saif Qaraan from Qalqilya, the mother of the perpetrator of the Kedumim attack from the town of Baqa al-Hatab, east of the city, and Muhammad Ali al-Quni from the town of Kafr Qallil, east of Nablus.

Palestinian local sources said that the Israeli army raided the home of the family of the perpetrator of the Kedumim attack early this morning during a raid on the village of Baqa al-Hatab, east of Qalqilya, in the northern West Bank. The Prisoners’ Media Office reported that Israeli forces re-arrested released prisoners Qassam al-Khatib and Sheikh Mashhour Abu Daher after raiding their homes in the town of Abu Shkheidem, north of Ramallah, and Noah al-Hashlamoun from Hebron.

The office also noted that Israeli forces arrested released prisoner Saif al-Din Darwish and young man Abdul Salam Abu Srour after storming and searching their homes in Aida refugee camp, north of Bethlehem, in the southern occupied West Bank.