Israeli forces launch arrest campaign in West Bank

Israeli forces carried out a wide campaign of raids and searches across several governorates in the occupied West Bank last night and early Wednesday, involving gunfire, house searches, mistreatment of residents and the arrest of a number of people, including two children.

In Jenin, forces stormed the town of Yabad and raided the home of its mayor, Amjad Attatra, concurrently with raids in Sanur, Qabatiya and the al-Marah neighborhood, where they arrested two young men who had been on a motorcycle; their identities have not yet been confirmed.

They also arrested Saleh Jarrar from Wadi Burqin while he was at al-Zaher Pharmacy in Jenin, and detained Eyad Abu al-Layl and Bara’ al-Amr Juhamneh from the al-Hadaf neighborhood around Jenin camp.

The Jenin Directorate of Education announced the postponement of school sessions in the town of Yabad for the safety of students; classes will be made up on Thursday.

In Tubas, forces arrested Yusuf Zahran from the al-Fara’a camp as he passed through the al-Hamra checkpoint this morning.

In Salfit, Israeli forces stormed the towns of Qarawa Bani Hassan and al-Zawiya west of the city, raiding a number of homes and causing destruction after searches, and beat several youths.

In Ramallah, forces arrested children Yusuf Adeeb Atta (13), Saif Ali al-Barghouthi (14) and Mahmoud Zahran (15) after raiding their family homes and rifling through their contents in the village of Deir Abu Mash’al northwest of the city.

They also continued raids in the towns of Turmusayya, Deir Ibzi’, Ni’lin and Kobar and in the city of al-Bireh, subjecting a number of residents to field interrogations, assaulting some of them, and confiscating several private vehicles.

In Hebron, the towns of Sa’ir and Idhna saw simultaneous raids that resulted in the arrest of Anas Matour after he was shot and wounded prior to his arrest, and the arrest of Hatem Makhamra from the al-Baraka area in Yatta; his wife and son Yusuf were assaulted and taken to hospital after being injured, and the contents of their home were vandalized.

Israeli forces also continued raids of towns and villages in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Salfit and Qalqilya, which included heavy clashes and intensive firing of live ammunition and gas and sound grenades, particularly in Kafr ‘Aqab, al-Ram, Za’tara and Qarawa Bani Hassan.