Israeli forces Wednesday overnight and Tuesday evening detained 18 Palestinians and injured three others across the West Bank, according to local and security sources.

A sizable Israeli infantry force raided Umm Safa village, northwest of Ramallah city, where they smashed the doors of and ransacked several houses before rounding up four villagers, including a 17-year-old high school student, as confirmed by head of the Umm Safa Village Council, Marwan Sabbah.

Israeli troops also rounded up another Palestinian after breaking into and searching his house in Beitunia city, west of Ramallah.

In the southern West Bank, the sources confirmed an Israeli military raid in Tuqu‘ town, east of Bethlehem, resulting in the detention of another.

Another resident of the same town was detained on Tuesday evening after he appeared before the Israeli intelligence at the Gush Etzion colonial settlement bloc, south of Bethlehem.

In Hebron district, Israeli military vehicles stormed al-Arroub refugee camp, north of the city, where the soldiers detained two others, including a 13-year-old teen, after ransacking the houses of their families.

In the northern West Bank, several Israeli army jeeps raided Tubas city, before the soldiers opened fired towards Palestinians who protested the raid, hitting three with live fire; two of them in the pelvis and one in the arm, including one who suffered critical injuries.

The casualties were rushed to a hospital in the city for urgent treatment.

While in the city, the soldiers detained two Palestinians after ransacking their houses, as confirmed by Director of the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS) Office in Tubas, Kamal Bani-Odeh.

Bani-Odeh added that Israeli soldiers, on Tuesday evening, rounded up a young Palestinian man from the same city.

The 21-year-old man was stopped and detained at the al-Jalama military roadblock while returning home from work inside Israel.

In Nablus district, the sources confirmed a similar Israeli military raid in Salem village, east of the city, resulting in the detention of another.

In Jerusalem district, Israeli police rounded up four Palestinians, including two teens, aged 16 and 19, after storming and searching their family houses in Hizma town, northeast of the city.

Police also detained two others after storming their family houses in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Batn al-Hawa, where over 80 Palestinian families are at the imminent risk of forced expulsions.

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