Israeli Occupation Forces Kidnap Ibrahimi Mosque Director

Ramallah, MINA – The Israeli occupation forces and settlers escalated their attacks across several areas of the West Bank early on Friday, carrying out raids and kidnapping approximately 20 Palestinians, including director of the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil Mutaz Hafez Abu Sneineh, the Palestinian Information Center reports.

The attacks also targeted Palestinian farmers and agricultural land in Ramallah and Salfit, where Israeli forces fired tear gas at olive harvesters and settlers set olive trees ablaze during the harvest season.

In al-Khalil, Israeli forces kidnapped nine Palestinians after raiding several neighborhoods, storming homes, conducting searches, and damaging residents’ belongings.

The kidnappings included Mutaz Hafez Abu Sneineh, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, and Hammam Abu Markhiya, head of the Mosque’s custodial staff. Both were kidnapped at their workplace inside the Mosque compound. In the town of Yatta, south of al-Khalil, Israeli forces raided several Palestinian homes and searched them. No kidnappings were reported.

In Qalqilya Governorate, Israeli forces raided the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya, and kidnapped brothers Mahmoud and Mohammed Amjad Shtaywi, along with Samir Shtaywi and Murad Shtaywi. During a separate raid on Qalqilya city, the forces kidnapped five former Palestinian prisoners.

In Nablus Governorate, Israeli forces stormed the town of Beita, south of Nablus, raided several homes, searched them, and damaged their contents before kidnapping two former prisoners. In Tulkarem, Israeli forces kidnapped a young Palestinian man near Shuweika Roundabout.

In Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, dozens of armed Jewish settlers broke into the area between the village of Surda and the al-Reihan neighborhood north of Ramallah on Friday morning. According to local sources, the settlers carried out provocative patrols through the streets, threw stones at Palestinian vehicles, fired live ammunition into the air, and damaged a memorial in the area.

Meanwhile, in the town of Abwein, north of Ramallah, Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at Palestinian olive harvesters. They prevented them from reaching their agricultural land in the Wadi al-Laban and Gharaba areas east of the town. Local sources said the attacks against farmers continued for a second consecutive day, disrupting their access to olive groves and preventing them from harvesting their crops.

In Salfit Governorate, Israeli forces raided Salfit City early on Friday, storming and searching several Palestinian homes while deploying troops across multiple neighborhoods. In a separate settler attack, Jewish settlers set fire to olive trees in the Wadi al-Shaer area between Salfit City and the town of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya. The area has experienced repeated settler attacks, including assaults on farmers working their land, theft of olive crops, and damage to Palestinian vehicles.

In a separate attack on Thursday evening, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was injured by Israeli gunfire during a military raid on the town of al-Yamun, west of Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its medical teams treated the child for a live bullet wound to the foot.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)