RAMALLAH, Israeli forces Tuesday overnight detained 18 Palestinians, including five minors, from various parts of the West Bank, according to local and security sources.

In Ramallah district, Israeli forces rounded up a Palestinian after storming his house in al-Am’ari refugee camp, south of al-Bireh city.

They also re-arrested two former prisoners after breaking into and searching their houses in ‘Arura, northwest of Ramallah.

The sources confirmed a similar raid in Sinjil town, northeast of the city, resulting in the detention of another.

In Jerusalem district, the military vehicles stormed al-Eizariya town, southeast of the city, where the soldiers detained another and ransacked his house as well as his brother’s, turning them upside down.

The soldiers conducted a similar raid in Anata town, northeast of the city, and detained another after forcibly entering and searching his house.

In Bethlehem district, soldiers rounded up one after showing up at his house in Beit Sahur city, east of Bethlehem, and another after forcibly entering his house in Husan village, west of the city.

They carried out a similar raid in Beit Fajjar town, south of the city, muscled in a house and detained two teen, both 16.

In Hebron district, gun-toting soldiers rounded up three others, including two 15-old minors, after storming the houses of their families in Jabal Abu Rumman neighborhood.

The raid triggered confrontations that saw the soldiers opening fire towards local youths, injuring one by a concussion grenade in his foot.

Still in Hebron district, soldiers detained two minors, aged 14 and 15, and tampered with the contents of several houses in Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city.

In the northern West Bank, a sizable military force barged its way into the Jenin city neighborhood of Marah, re-arrested a former prisoner and thoroughly searched his house, turning it topsy-turvy.

The military vehicles also stormed Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus, where the soldiers detained another.

The sources added that a similar raid was carried out in Kafr Qaddoum village, east of Qalqiliya, resulting in the detention of another.

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.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency