The Israeli army invaded several West Bank cities on Thursday at dawn and took prisoner 21 residents.
In the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem Israeli army vehicles surrounded Al Azzah refugee camp on Wednesday late at night. Troops attacked residents' homes and searched and ransacked them. Families were forced outside during the search, eyewitnesses told IMEMC, adding that soldiers threatened to kill them if they did not leave their homes.
Soldiers left the refugee camp at around 5:00 AM taking with them 10 residents to unknown locations. The 10 were identified as: Majed Al Azzah, 34, his brother Nihad 37, Jihad Nufal, 44, Issa Al Barbari, 46, Rami Mriziek, 28, Rami Qaraq'e, 31, Mohamed Abu Sha'ira, 35, Yasser Al Badawi, 33, Ossamah Abu Sha'ira, 23, and Amer Abu Sha'ira.
Moreover, another army force invaded the village of Al Shawawra, north of Bethlehem, and took prisoner four residents. Troops attacked houses and searched them then left the village, taking Ali Hamdan Nadier Salem, and his brothers Bassem and Shakier to unknown locations.
Mohamed Al Badan, 20, and Isma'el Abd Al Jalil, 19, were taken prisoner form the village of Taqua, east of Bethlehem; they were taken to unknown locations after troops searched and ransacked their homes, the families reported.
By Thursday morning the number of residents taken prisoner by the army during the predawn invasion to Bethlehem stops at 16 residents at the time of this report.
Elsewhere, in the northern part of the West Bank, Israeli forces took prisoner five residents from the city of Nablus and its Balata refugee camp.
Army vehicles and bulldozers stormed the city and the refugee camp and troops opened fire randomly at residents' houses. Residents also heard explosions ringing throughout the city. The army searched and ransacked scores of houses and took Amjidi Al Bakar, 22, Mohamed Abu Al Haiat, 22, Hamid Bashier, 42, Jamal Akup, 35- all are from the city of Nablus while Mohamed Abu Saleem, 21 was taken from his home in Balata refugee camp. All where taken to unknown locations.
Israeli army sources said that the arrest campaign troops conducted in the West Bank on Thursday at dawn targeted what the army calls "Wanted Palestinians."
None of these families were told why their relatives were taken, nor were they told where they were taken to.
