HEBRON, July 12, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Tuesday continued to impose a general closure on the southern West Bank district of Hebron, detaining six Palestinians in raids, said security and municipal sources.
Forces raided Dura town, detaining five Palestinians after breaking into and ransacking their houses.
The detainees were identified as Khaled al-Faqih, his wife, Taghrid, his son, Muath, his brother, Mohammad and Amir Mutlaq, 22.
Forces also detained Hamza Halayqa in a raid that sparked violent clashes in Ash-Shuyukh town, northeast of Hebron.
Clashes broke out after Israeli troops raided the town, firing tear gas canisters, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at locals who protested the raid and attempted to block their passage.
Forces also raided several Hebron neighborhoods as well as the Hebron towns of Sair, Yatta, Surif, As-Samu‘ and Bani Naim, ransacking and destroying the doors of many houses, desecrating tombs, blowing up some caves and seizing the recordings of surveillance cameras.
Forces maintained a complete siege on the Hebron towns of Sair, Ash-Shuyukh and Bani Naim, declaring them closed military zones and sealing their routes with earth mounds and cement blocks.
Israel imposed a complete blockade on Hebron, the largest and most populous district in the West Bank, for the 12th consecutive day, affecting some 700,000 Palestinians following a spike of deadly attacks at the end of June and early July.
The closure has been described by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz as the largest since a massive crackdown following the alleged kidnapping and killing of three Israeli youth settlers in June 2014.
The closure, approved by the Israeli government as part of a series of larger reprisals, affects only Palestinians and not Israeli settlers in settlements across Hebron district, an Israeli army spokesperson reportedly told media.
Meanwhile, Hebron Mayor Daoud Zaatari slammed Israel’s general closure of Hebron district as “collective punishment” against the Palestinian people.
“Since the first day of Eid al-Fitr, Israeli occupation forces are taking revenge on 800,000 Palestinians in Hebron,” Zaatari said.
K.F.
