JERUSALEM, Wednesday, December 18, 2019 (WAFA) – Israeli forces today overnight detained 13 Palestinians and injured two others in multiple raids across the West Bank, said security sources and witnesses.
In Jerusalem, Israeli police detained five Palestinians after ransacking their families’ houses in Issawiya neighborhood.
Over the last several months, Issawiyeh, a Palestinian village of some 20,000 population, has faced a dramatic uptick in police raids that have completely disrupting their lives and thrown the neighborhood into chaos.
Police also detained four Palestinians, a father and his three sons, after storming their house in Silwan neighborhood.
In Bethlehem district, a sizable Israeli military force rounded up two Palestinians in a raid that triggered confrontations in Duheisha refugee camp, south of Bethlehem city.
Soldiers opened fire on local youths who protested the raid, hitting two protestors with rubber-coated steel bullets. The casualties were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
In Ramallah district, a similar Israeli military raid was conducted in Mazari al-Nubani village, north of Ramallah city, resulting in the detention of a 15-year-old teen.
The teen’s father confirmed that his son was beaten up while handcuffed before being taken to the Ofer military detention center, west of Ramallah.
In the northern West Bank, Israeli military vehicles raided Qalqilia city, where soldiers detained a Palestinian after breaking into and thoroughly searching his house.
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.
According to Palestinian figures, roughly 5,700 Palestinians -- including numerous women and children -- are currently languishing in Israeli detention facilities.
K.F.
