Israeli army arrests 17 Palestinians, demolishes home in West Bank raids

Israeli forces arrested at least 17 Palestinians, including two women and a child, and demolished a home in the West Bank on Wednesday, in the latest escalation in the occupied territory, according to local officials.

Israeli troops carried out raids across multiple areas in the West Bank, arresting “at least 17 Palestinians, including two women and child,” the Prisoners’ Media Office said in a statement.

The office said forces raided homes, searched properties and damaged belongings during the raids, which were concentrated in Nablus, Bethlehem, Hebron and Ramallah.

In a separate development, Israeli forces sealed off the town of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah, blocking all entrances with earth mounds and isolating it from surrounding areas, local official Abdullah Awad said.