RAMALLAH, Wednesday, July 06, 2022 (WAFA) – Israeli forces today detained at least 42 Palestinians in large-scale raids across the West Bank, according to local and security sources.
They said that a sizable Israeli army force stormed Silwad town, east of Ramallah city, where the soldiers broke into dozens of houses, assaulted the residents with dogs, conducted thorough searches and eventually detained 29 Palestinians.
While in the town, the soldiers showed up at the premises of Silwad Sports Club, smashed the main and internal doors, conducted a search and tempered with the contents, causing extensive destruction.
The soldiers detained another from Ni‘lin town, west of Ramallah, and ransacked his family houses, turning it topsy-turvy.
In the southern West Bank, the sources confirmed a raid in Tarqumiyah town, west of Hebron, leading to the detention of three others.
By the time the raid was over, the soldiers confiscated the private vehicle of a resident.
The gun-toting soldiers rounded up another from Hebron city.
In the northern West Bank, a convoy of army vehicles stormed Jayyus town, east of Qalqiliya city, where the soldiers rounded up two others.
In Tulkarm district, an army force barged its way into Nur Shams refugee camp, rounded up three residents and wreaked havoc inside the houses of their families.
The raid triggered confrontations during which the soldiers shot a young man who was standing in front of his house by a live round in the thigh.
The casualty was rushed to a hospital and his condition was described as stable.
The sources confirmed a similar raid in Dhanaba neighborhood, east of the city, resulting in the detention of another.
In Jenin district, the sources confirmed that Israeli soldiers detained a resident of Jaba‘ town, south of the city, during a raid that resulted in the killing of 20-year-old Rafiq Riyad Ghannam.
The soldiers showed up at the family house of a former prisoner in Jenin refugee camp, muscled inside and eventually re-arrested the former prisoner.
During the ensuing confrontations, a young man sustained wounds after being shot by the soldiers by a live round in the foot.
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 4,450 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers.
This number includes approximately 530 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.
Source: Palestine News & Info Agency