Israeli forces dawn Friday detained nine Palestinians and shot two others in separate raids in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus and district of Bethlehem, according to security sources.
Israeli forces detain nine Palestinians, shoot two others in West Bank raids
23 Jun 2023 - 16:00
Israeli forces dawn Friday detained nine Palestinians and shot two others in separate raids in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus and district of Bethlehem, according to security sources.
During the ensuing confrontations, the gun-toting soldiers fired volleys of fire towards local young men, wounding two by live rounds in the neck and side and causing dozens others to suffocate from tear gas.
The two live-round casualties were rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, soldiers manning a flying checkpoint, close to Dar Salah village, east of Bethlehem, stopped and rounded up a young man from the nearby village of Abu Nujaym.
In Hebron district, the occupation troops detained three others from Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city, and ransacked a number of houses, turning them topsy-turvy, as confirmed by media activist, Mohammad Awad.
Awad confirmed another raid in Dura city, southwest of Hebron, resulting in the detention of another.
On Thursday evening, the soldiers manning a checkpoint close to Deir Sharaf village, west of Nablus, detained a resident of Tulkarm city.
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.
According to the latest figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, there are currently 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 160 children and 31 female prisoners.
This number includes 1,083 Palestinians placed under “administrative detention”, that allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.
Mass arrest of Palestinians is nothing new. According to a 2017 report by Addameer, over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel, this figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million. This means that about 40% of Palestinian men and boys living under military occupation have been deprived of their freedom. Almost every Palestinian family has suffered the imprisonment of a loved one.
Story Code: 597688