Several Palestinian civilians were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday in a mass abduction sweep launched across the West Bank.
Ex-prisoners Ribhi Khazana Ibrahim Nasser Hamad and Malek Hamed along with citizen Tayseer Maher Shaker and Luay Fares a nurse were kidnapped by the IOF from Ramallah’s town of Silwad.
Another Palestinian civilian identified as Jihad Nidhal Alyan was kidnapped by the IOF from Al-Jalazoun camp in Ramallah.
The campaign also targeted Mootaz and Abdul Fatah Nayef Muslameh from Al-Khalil’s town of Beit Awa.
The occupation troops further kidnapped Hani Maher Kayed and Malek Midhat Kayed from Sebastiya in Nablus.
At predawn time over seven IOF jeeps rolled into Merka town in southern Jenin and cordoned off residential alleys before they closed off the main entrance to the town for hours.
The IOF sealed off the Merka-Qabatiya access-road and the Jenin-Nablus thoroughfare with two military checkpoints blocking Palestinians’ movement inside and out.
The IOF wreaked havoc on civilian homes in Merka’s outer edges and subjected the inhabitants to intensive questioning before they backtracked on the daybreak.
Overnight the Israeli military forces also stormed Qalqilya’s eastern town of Azzoun in the northern West Bank and showered the area with sound bombs and stun grenades. Fire broke out across olive groves as a result. Civil defense crews showed up at the scene and put out the fire.
The IOF rummaged into the home of Nassar Mohamed Nassar in the town and cracked down on the family members before they locked them up in one room and ravaged the house.
The occupation troops reportedly closed off all access roads out of and into the camp resulting in traffic jam.
