At least 18 Palestinians detained in overnight raids
March 8, 2016 10:37 A.M. (Updated: March 8, 2016 8:40 P.M.)
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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces detained at least 18 Palestinians during raids across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, security sources and the Israeli army said.
Palestinian security sources told Ma’an that detention raids were reported in East Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Qalqiliya, Nablus and Hebron areas.
Amir Khalid Jaffal, Ahmad Radi Erekat, and his brother Mahmoud were detained in Abu Dis east of Jerusalem, the sources said, while in the village of Nabi Saleh west of Ramallah, Manal Tamimi was detained from her family home.
Twelve-year-old Awni Ahmad Taqatqa and 16-year-old Mahmoud Abdullah Taqatqa were detained from the town of Beit Fajjar south of Bethlehem, security sources said.
In the northern West Bank, Yousif Sweidan was detained from Azzun in Qalqiliya district and Jasir Fatih Qadus was detained from Burin near Nablus.
Israeli forces also raided Beit Ummar north of Hebron and detained Jihad Muqbil, sources added.
Tariq Bilalou was detained from the northernmost West Bank city of Jenin, while three others were detained in the town of Yaabad to the south, identified as Muhammad Bassam Hamarsha, Fadil Turkuman and Amjad Hamarsha.
Israeli forces on Monday night also detained a Palestinian National Security colonel at the Zaatara military checkpoint south of Nablus, the sources said, identifying him as Adel Bakir.
An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed 18 detentions made in total in the occupied West Bank, the majority of whom were detained for "suspected illegal activity."
Israeli military forces routinely conduct search and detention raids across the occupied Palestinian territory -- including in Area A which is under full Palestinian jurisdiction.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has documented a weekly after of 87 raids since the start of this year.
As of Februart, 7,000 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons, 406 of them are children, according to prisoners’ rights group Addameer.
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