Israel forces detain family of alleged knifeman, 24 others

Bethlehem – Ma'an – The brothers of alleged knife attacker Muhammad Al-Khatib were detained during a raid on their home in Ya'bad village in the Jenin governorate Wednesday afternoon, as Israeli soldiers nabbed 19 teens and three adults from other locations across the West Bank overnight.

The detention of Ated Aqab Khalaf Khatib, 29, and Muhammad Aqab Khalaf Khatib, 30, followed the detention of their brother, accused of stabbing an Israeli soldier near the Za'tara checkpoint on Wednesday afternoon. The soldier died in hospital of injuries sustained after the attack when he rolled the vehicle while escaping.

Israeli forces raided Muhammad's home Wednesday afternoon, part of an investigation into the killing, an Israeli military spokesman said. The spokesman confirmed that the family members were detained as suspects, but could not confirm whether they were suspects in the alleged knife attack.

Three other raids occurred in the West Bank between midnight and sunrise, targeting Palestinians from the Ramallah and Bethlehem governorates.

Twenty-one of those detained were taken from the Jalazon Refugee Camp near Ramallah in a mass raid of the small area. Those taken were identified as:

Muhammad Rebhi Masaroh, 18
Zeidi Mahmud Abdul Rahim Zed, 17
Malek Rabah Mamoun Nakhleh, 20
Muhammad Khaled Mahmud Nakhleh, 16
Yassen Ahmad Nakhleh, 16
Hussein Theeb Sharaikeh, 15
Naser Kamal Ahmad Sharaikeh, 15
Khaled Marwan Dalabsheh, 17
Mahmud Ramadan Sharai’a, 16
Muhannad Ramada Alayan, 18
Ahmad Hussein Theeb Sharaikeh, 15
Khaled Marwan Misbah Dalabshehm, 16
Ahmad Khaled Wasfi Sa’adat, 16
Muhammad Mahmud Khalil Nakhleh, 16
Ahmad Mahmud Khalil Nakhleh, 15
Muhammad Mahmud Abdul Aziz Zeid, 16
Mu’aied Mahmud Fouzi Nakhleh, 16
Hussein Khaled Al-Areesh, 18
Ahmad Muhammad Sha’ban Ghazawi, 17
Amr Zuher Dar Awwad, 16
Mahmud Ramadan Sanad, 16

In Bethlehem, forces detained Mahmud Jamal Mustafa Masalmeh, 25, and Omar Jalal Khalil Shalsh, 16.