Israeli soldiers invaded, Wednesday, dozens of Palestinian communities in different parts of the occupied West Bank, searched and ransacked homes, and kidnapped at least thirteen Palestinians. Media spokesperson of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, Mohammad Awad, said several Israeli military vehicles invaded Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, and kidnapped two Palestinians, after violently searching their homes.
The two, Bilal Mahmoud Awad, 19, and Mohammad Hussein Za’aqeeq, 21, are former political prisoners; the soldiers also searched several nearby homes, causing property damage.
Clashes took place between the invading soldiers and dozens of local youths, while many Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Eyewitnesses said the soldiers also fired gas bombs at a number of homes in the town, causing families to suffer effects of tear gas inhalation.
Furthermore, soldiers invaded the home of Taiseer an-Nastsha, and violently searched it, causing property damage, and confiscated some amounts of cash. Taiseer is the father of Ma’moun an-Nastsha, who was killed by the army in 2010.
Similar invasions targeted Yatta town, south of Hebron, in addition to Tarqoumia and Beit Awwa towns, southwest of the city, leading to the abduction of two Palestinians, identified as Yousef Omar Sweity and Walid Ahmad Abu Turki.
In addition, the army invaded various communities in the northern West Bank district of Nablus, searched and ransacked homes, and kidnapped three Palestinians.
The three have been identified as Mahmoud Abdul-Qader Jouda, from Iraq al-Tayeh village, ‘Ala Husam Daoud Samara, from Beit Omreen village, and Mo’tasem Ghassan Ahmad ‘Antari, 20, from Deir Sharaf village. ‘Antari is a student of the Najah National University in Nablus.
Soldiers also invaded Beit Rameen village, north of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, and kidnapped Jamal Jamil Barham, 54, the head of the Arabic Studies Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and a senior political leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
His wife, Amira Barham, said a large military force stormed their home after surrounding it, conducted extensive and violent searches, and smashed a computer belonging to her college student son.
She added that the soldiers detained her in one room, guarded by two soldiers, and interrogated her husband and children in another room.
It is worth mentioning that the army also said it arrested two Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, and two in Abu Dis town, in occupied East Jerusalem.
On Tuesday evening, soldiers kidnapped Ahmad Jamal al-Hour, from Hebron; he was kidnapped in the Etzion military base after receiving an order for interrogation, just a few hours after the soldiers abducted his brother Taqieddin.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli navy ships attacked Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza waters, kidnapped five fishers, while the soldiers carried out a limited invasion into southern Gaza, and opened fire on local farmers, moderately wounding one Palestinian. http://www.imemc.org/article/71803
