On Tuesday morning, at least 40 Israeli military vehicles stormed the village of Marda, located near the northern West Bank city of Salfit. The army searched homes, detained 50 civilians, and kidnapped two.
Troops surrounded the home of Hazem Ibdah, located in Marda. Soldiers forced his family out, then made the house as a military base, Hazem told the IMEMC.
He added that there were around 60 soldiers in his home. Troops then started to round up men between the ages of 17 to 55 from the village and brought them to the home of Ibdah for interrogation.
Ibdah added that troops forced men to identify themselves and their occupation, and then sign documents which the soldiers had with them.
The operation ended at around 10:00 am on Tuesday when troops left after kidnapping two men from the village. The two men were identified as Eihab Ibdah, 18, and Ahamd Sami 24.
Update from
Israeli military invades Marda and imposes curfew
Time 10:17 am
On Tuesday morning, sources from the International Women’s Peace Service, an organization based in the West Bank town of Harris, told us that an Israeli invasion began this morning in the village of Marda, in the Salfit area.
The army entered the village at approximately 3:00am on Tuesday, and by 4:00am they had occupied a house adjacent to the school. The army then began to enter many houses at random, apprehending boys ranging from 14 to 20 years in age. A total of approximately 50 boys were taken for interrogation.
It has been confirmed that at least one local boy has been arrested.
The Israeli army, as well as the Shabak, were in Marda right with at least 15 jeeps, and they had imposed a curfew.
The army has rounded up all the boys and young men of the village, and they have been brought to a local school. The men are were interrogated one by one in an occupied house. The army is also detaining some of the boys who have already been interrogated by withholding their i.d’s.
By 10:25am, the curfew had been lifted, and the army left the occupied house and school.
