Israeli forces detained at least 16 Palestinians in predawn raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.
The Asra Media Office said Israeli forces detained Amer Muhammad Taqatqa, Muhammad Jalal Taqatqa and Muhammas Salem Thawabta in the village of Beit Fajjar in Bethlehem district.
In Salfit district, Yousef Hassan Qasoul and Ameel Aqe were detained, while in Jenin, Israeli forces apprehended Ahmad al-Arqawi, Ameed Tareq Qabha,18, Rida Ahmad Tawfeeq Qabha,19, and Mansour Ahmad Masoud, 23.
The office said Basel Thalji al-Rimawi was detained in Ramallah and Muhammad Saher Rizqallah in Tulkarem.
An Israeli army spokesperson said Israeli forces had detained at least 16 Palestinians in overnight raids -- five in Jenin district, one in Tulkarem, three in Qalqiliya, one in Ramallah, and six in Bethlehem.
She said one Palestinian in Jenin was a "Hamas operative," while the others were detained for alleged "illegal activities."
Israeli forces routinely detain Palestinians throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, often on the pretext of perceived security threats.
According to prisoners' rights organization Addameer, at least 7,000 Palestinians were held prisoner by Israel in February. Addameer estimates that around 40 percent of the Palestinian male population in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has been detained at some point.
