Israeli troops entered the Palestinian city of Bethlehem Saturday night, while helicopters buzzed overhead, Palestinian witnesses said.
Armored Israeli transport vehicles entered into the Bethlehem region from the east and also entered around Beit Jala, which borders the Jewish settlement of Gilo on the outskirts of east Jerusalem, witnesses said.
Israeli troops seized much of Bethlehem, imposed a curfew and surrounded the home of Muhammed Shehade, a local leader of the Islamic Jihad. Palestinian residents heard explosions coming from the area around Shehade's house.
Unconfirmed reports said a number of Palestinians were detained, including a ranking member of Hamas movement.
AFP reported that Israeli troops also entered the town of Doha, west of Bethlehem. According to an Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades statement, Issam Badir, the suicide bomber who blew himself up earlier this week in Rishon Letzion, came from Doha.
An army spokesman said Israeli forces had returned to Bethlehem to arrest persons believed to be plotting attacks against Israeli targets.
In Gaza Strip, a woman and her 12-year-old niece were mortally wounded by Israeli fire when an army unit, backed by tanks, entered the El-Boureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said. Kamla Abu Said, 42, along with her daughter, Amna, 13 later died from their injuries.
Marwan Abu Said, a Palestinian witness and a relative of those shot, said the soldiers fired from three tanks patrolling the border, next to the flat, open field. He said he was not aware of any provocation that prompted the soldiers to fire. (Albawaba.com)
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