Israeli soldiers started a wide-scaled military offensive in Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, on Sunday at dawn. The offensive included at least six abductions, imposing curfew, breaking into houses and local radio and TV stations, dividing the city and surrounding a local hospital.
The invasion was described as the largest in the city in six months; dozens of armored vehicles, jeeps and military bulldozers invaded Nablus and imposed curfew barring the resident from leaving their homes.
Palestinian security sources in the city reported that soldiers invaded Al Yasmin neighborhood, in the Old City of Nablus, al Kasaba neighborhoud in addition to other areas in the city, broke into dozens of homes and used some of the attacked buildings as military posts and monitoring towers.
Residents of the attacked homes were locked in one room in each home as the soldiers controlled their properties.
Also, soldiers surrounded the National Hospital in the center on Nablus, searched and interrogated the residents who were trying to enter the hospital or trying to leave it.
Military bulldozers placed concrete blocks in front of the Ministry of Education in the city and barred the resident from entering that area.
Six residents were abducted by the army after the soldiers broke into a home they wee hiding in.
Palestinian security sources identified the six as Ammar Hijab, 40, Nayif Hijab, 36, Nawwaf Hijab, 27, Tamer Hijab 17, Saed Tuffaha and his brother Khader.
Moreover, soldiers broke into several local radio and TV stations in the city and released names of wanted fighters. Soldiers also used the attacked stations to broadcast warnings to the residents that they will be punished if they leave their homes, and warned them not to come close to public institutions and banks.
Troops also stated that this wide military offensive aims at abducting wanted fighters, especially the following residents; Mahdi Abu Ghazala, Ammar Akoub, Sufian Qandeel, Amin Lubbada, Abdul-Rahman Shinnawi, and Mahdi Akoub.
According to army sources, two soldiers were mildly injured during the military offesnive.
In addition to barring the employees and workers from leaving their homes, the curfew barred more than 45000 school students, and 16000 university students from reaching their educational facilities.
updated from;
Israeli soldiers invade Nablus, impose curfew placing thousands under house arrestSaed Bannoura – IMEMC & Agencies; Sun, 25 Feb 2007 11:56
Israeli soldiers invaded on Sunday at dawn the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and imposed curfew placing dozens of thousands of residents in house arrest, Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported.
The agency stated that dozens of Israeli military jeeps and armored vehicles invaded the city from several directions and fired rounds of live ammunition at dozens of homes before imposing curfew.
The agency stated that soldiers broke into and searched dozens of homes in Rafidia and Al Sharqiyya areas in addition to breaking into homes in the Old City of Nablus.
Soldiers also installed dozens of roadblocks in the city and totally sealed an area close to the Ministry of Education.
Israeli sources reported that soldiers uncovered an “explosive laboratory” in the city, and that the invading forces were subjected to gunfire from resistance fighters in the city.
According to an Israeli military sources, soldiers returned fired; no injuries were reported.
The invasion was carried approximately by eighty military jeeps and several military bulldozers.
Life in Nablus is not totally cut off as the army is operating there, and several schools and universities announced that they had canceled studies due to the Israeli invasion and the imposed curfew.
