JENIN, Saturday, May 16, 2020 (WAFA) – For the fifth consecutive day, the town of Ya‘bad in the north of the occupied West Bank has been under a tight Israeli military siege and crackdown, with Israeli army raiding and ransacking homes and arresting civilians every now and then, especially in the late night hours.
Forces cordoned off and shut down all entrances to the town with earth mounds and cement cubes, disconnecting the town from its main neighboring communities. People trying to enter or leave the town using alternative agricultural alleys were also attacked by army forces who transferred the town into a big prison.
Entire families, including children, women and elderly, were arrested from their homes and many of them were released later. Others had their homes raided in middle of the night and were beaten by attacking soldiers without stating any reason for that, and some were moved to hospital due to being beaten by soldiers.
The Israeli military crackdown came after an soldier was killed when someone dropped a large rock on his head during an overnight raid in the town
Eman Nazmi, a woman from Ya‘bad who was detained two days ago and released today, told WAFA following her release that Israeli soldiers took her to the illegal settlement of Mevo Dothan, nearby, where she was interrogated by an Israeli intelligence officer who shouted profanities at her and threatened her to forcibly extract confessions.
She said right after she was released on Saturday morning, an Israeli army force raided her mother‘s home and arrested her.
Residents of the Salama neighborhood in Ya‘bad, where the soldier was killed, say they have been accustomed over the past five days to Israeli soldiers raiding their neighborhood and attacking their homes and mounting their rooftop.
Israeli forces have been conducting raids into the town since Tuesday, May 12, arresting scores of residents, including entire families, storming civilian houses, and heavily using live fire as part of Israel’s collective punishment policy. At least 34 residents were reportedly arrested, including two women and six children.
M.N
