RAMALLAH, Wednesday, December 19, 2018 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Wednesday conducted multiple overnight raids across the West Bank and detained at least 28 Palestinians, said the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS).
Israeli military police detained at least 15 Palestinians after storming their houses in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Eissawiya.
In Bethlehem district, Israeli forces detained two Palestinians and ransacked several houses during a raid that triggered confrontations in Duheisha refugee camp, south of Bethlehem.
Soldiers indiscriminately opened fire on local youths who protested the raid, wounding one with a live round in the chest and another with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the foot. Several other protesters suffered from excessive tear gas.
They hurled a gas bomb toward a Palestinian-owned vehicle, causing fire to break out.
Elsewhere in the southern West Bank, soldiers detained three Palestinians, including two former prisoners, from Hebron district.
Soldiers reportedly raided Beit Ummar and Beit Awwa towns, north and west of Hebron, where they ransacked several homes. No detentions were reported though.
Similar raids were reported in the central West Bank district of Ramallah and al-Bireh, resulting in the detention of three others.
Similar military raids that sparked confrontations were reported in the northern West Bank districts of Tulkarem and Jenin, where soldiers rounded up three Palestinians.
Two other Palestinians were reported during separate two raids into Tubas city and Tammun town, south of Tubas.
Israeli forces frequently conduct large-scale overnight detention raids almost on a daily basis across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians, triggering clashes with residents.
Clashes often erupt between Palestinian youth who attempt to block soldiers’ passage, throwing stones and empty bottles and are met with live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters, often resulting in serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.
According to Palestinian figures, some 6,500 Palestinians continue to languish in Israeli detention facilities, including scores of women and hundreds of minors.
K.F.
