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Palestine Monitor
Idf Raids Across The West Bank Thursday morning saw simultaneous raids take place in homes throughout the West Bank: the Northern village of Beit Furiq was one of the targeted areas with 8 residents taken, including 2 women. Over 50 soldiers surrounded the Abu Ghalam family home in Beit Furiq and entered by force at 2.30 am, arresting 20 year old Laith Abu Ghalam, and confiscating electronic equipment and the ID of one family member according to the residents of the home. Apparently around 50 soldiers entered the home following sound bombs: the use of riot dispersal gear in the raid was confirmed by an Israeli Military spokesperson. At the same time two other homes in the village were raided. Hani Aref Abdu As-Su’od and Hamada Hanany, along with Mas’ab and Sajed Abdul-Latif Maltyat were taken from the Maltyat home. All electronic equipment was also stripped from this home. Ayman Abu Ghalam, released only one month ago through a prisoner exchange deal after serving a four and a half year sentence, was arrested again. In the village of Burin, Ayman Abu Ghalam’s sisters, Linan and Tagreed were also arrested. Linan Abu Ghalam had been arrested previously and was serving a 6 year sentence in an Israeli jail before she was also released in a prisoner exchange for a tape of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier being held by Gazan operatives. Tagreed had never been arrested previously. 6 of the prisoners, including the two women, were being held at Huwarra detention centre according to family members who managed to secure a visit from a lawyer for the detained. Sajed Abdul-Latif Maltyat was immediately sentenced to 6 months in jail: he has been in prison on a regular basis for 15 years now. The raids and arrests are nothing new for the families. The Abu Ghalams say family members have been held in Israeli jails continuously since 1975 and whilst Awad Abu Ghalam was wanted between 1988 and 2005, the IDF would raid the house on a daily basis. Thursday morning also saw raids across the West Bank with ten others missing by dawn from Salfit, Jenin, Tubas, Hebron, the Bethlehem district and the Ramallah district. According to reports by Maan an Israeli Spokesperson cited that the arrests were carried out because of "suspicions of taking part in terrorist activity".
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