Israeli forces detain 26 Palestinians in East al-Quds
Israeli forces have arrested 26 Palestinians during a series of raids on a number of houses across the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Mohammad Mahmoud, a lawyer for the Ad-Dameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Association, said Israeli military vehicles stormed the al-Suwanna neighborhood on the Mount of Olives east of the Old City of al-Quds on Thursday morning.
The Israeli forces broke into dozens of homes and rummaged through them, causing excessive property damage before detaining 10 Palestinians.
He added that the rest of the detainees came from the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood in southern East al-Quds, the al-Issawiya neighborhood as well as the Silwan neighborhood on the outskirts of the Old City of al-Quds.
The latest developments come on the same day Israeli forces shot two Palestinians after accusing them of attacking an Israeli with knife in the western part of al-Quds.
The shooting took place near the bus station in the city of Beit Shemesh. One of the Palestinians later succumbed to his wounds, while the other is in critical condition.
The fresh wave of tensions was triggered by the Israeli regime’s imposition in August of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Palestinians are also angry at increasing violence by Israeli settlers who frequently storm the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. They say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the compound.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 50 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of others injured since the Israeli regime began a harsh crackdown in early October on the Palestinians.
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