Israeli forces raid Palestinian towns & villages in West Bank, abduct 14 total

WAFA – Israeli soldiers raided Sunday the village of Awarta, east of Nablus in the northern West Bank, and arrested 7 Palestinian men and 2 women, said local residents.

Head of Awarta village council Qais Awwad said several military vehicles raided the village and began searching homes, describing the searches as “the most hostile yet.” The soldiers have not left the village yet.

Awarta has been heavily targeted since March 11th, when a Jewish family of five was killed, by a yet unknown assailant, in the Itamar settlement illegally constructed on Awarta land. Israeli army and settlers regularly raid the village and harass the local population.

Meanwhile, in Bethlehem, soldiers broke into several homes in Al-Dawha and Hosan villages and arrested two more Palestinians, according to security sources.

In Hebron, in the southern West Bank, soldiers raided several houses at dawn and arrested two men from Beit Kahel, west of Hebron.

In the town of al-Dhahiriya, soldiers arrested a retired Palestinian officer and took him to an unknown destination.

Forces also raided Al-Oroub refugee camp and villages near Hebron, and handed one man a summons to report to the Israeli intelligence services.