IOF Continues Aggression on the Palestinian Citizens
TULKAREM, Palestine -- The Israeli occupying forces (IOF) continued its ongoing military offensive against the
Palestinian citizens, hours only after a massacre in Gaza Strip that left 14 Palestinians dead and 83 others wounded.
In Hebron governorate, the Israeli soldiers arrested three Palestinian citizens from the towns of Halhoul and Sa'eer,
Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said.
Local sources in the aforementioned town told IPC correspondent that the Israeli soldiers stormed Palestinian houses in
both towns and arrested at least three citizens during their house-to-house search campaign.
This raid came concurrent with vandalism and destruction acts by the Israeli settlers in the towns of Yatta and Soreef,
where they razed vast areas of arable lands and uprooted fruitful trees.
Eyewitnesses and local residents said that the settlers of the illegitimate Israeli settlement of "Metspe Ya'ir" south
of Yatt Town ruined the crops of 110 dunums of arable Palestinian lands, as well as uprooting dozens of olive trees.
Many families depended completely on these crops for their income.
Elsewhere, IOF arrested two Palestinians from the refugee camps in Tulkarem City, eyewitnesses and local sources told
IPC's.
Ibrahim Seif, 14, from Nour Shams refugee camp and Moayyad Nasralla, 25, from Tulkarem refugee camp were both arrested
when the Israeli soldiers raided the city and swept through the Palestinian houses and shops.
Also, the invading forces occupied several houses in the city and used them as military barracks for many hours before
redeploying around Tulkarem.
Meanwhile in Jenin governorate, the Israeli troops manning the Za'tara military checkpoint detained thousands of
Palestinian citizens and numerous vehicles for several hours, before opening the checkpoint again and allowing them to
move across it.
Local citizens who were at the checkpoint told IPC's over the phone that the Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint closed
it since the early morning hours, preventing all kinds of traffic through. The Za'tara checkpoint is one of the major
Israeli military checkpoint, and controls the main roads that connects several cities of the West Bank with each other.
In Ramallah, the Israeli occupying forces closed two main streets connecting the Ramallah and El Bireh governorate with
the rest of the West Bank, creating large traffic jams on the other roads.
Palestinian security sources asserted that large forces of the Israeli occupation completely closed the bypass roads
connecting the governorate with the occupied East Jerusalem, which is one of the most important roads that connect
different parts of the West Bank together.
Additionally, a general strike was declared in the city of Ramallah protesting the Israeli massacre committed early
this morning in the refugee camps of Al Bureij and Al Nusseirat, during which 14 Palestinians were killed and nearly 80
others were wounded. All the shops and stores in the city closed its doors, while schools and government departments
asked the students and employees to leave early.
Later in Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers manning a military checkpoint near the Al Quds University detained Mr. Khaled Al
Azza, director general of the department of local government of Jerusalem, and refused to release him or return his ID
card to him.
Mr. Al Azza is suffering from a chronic ailment, and the occupying authorities had demolished his home before in the Al
Azza refugee camp in Bethlehem City.