RAMALLAH, Tuesday, January 18, 2022 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Tuesday overnight detained 19 Palestinians in multiple raids across the West Bank, according to local and security sources.

They said that Israeli forces rounded up four Palestinians after storming and ransacking their family houses in Silwad town, east of Ramallah city.

They also rounded up two others in separate two raids in Ein Yabrud town, northeast of Ramallah, and the city itself.

In Jerusalem district, special Israeli forces, hidden in a civilian vehicle, detained a Palestinian from his workplace in Kafr Aqab town, north of the city. He was identified as a resident of Qalandia refugee camp.

Another Palestinian from the refugee camp turned himself a day after Israeli special forces detained his brother as a means to force him to surrender.

Israeli police detained two others from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

In the southern West Bank, Israeli military vehicles stormed Tuqu‘ town, east of Bethlehem, where the soldiers detained eight others, including two 16-year-old tees, and ransacked the houses of their families, turning them upside down.

In Hebron district, the sources confirmed an overnight raid in Beit Ummar town, north of the city, resulting in the detention of another.

Israeli forces frequently raid Palestinian houses almost on a daily basis across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for "wanted" Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.

These raids, which take place also in areas under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, are conducted with no need for a search warrant, whenever and wherever the military chooses in keeping with its sweeping arbitrary powers.

Under Israeli military law army commanders have full executive, legislative and judicial authority over 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. Palestinians have no say in how this authority is exercised.

K.F.