Israeli security forces arrest dozens of Palestinians

By Anees Bargouthi

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Israeli security forces have arrested dozens of Palestinians, including seven members of an alleged Hezbollah-linked armed group in separate raids in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories, Israeli police and a Palestinian nongovernmental organization said Thursday.

According to an Israeli police statement, Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency was involved in the raid to arrest the alleged members of the Hezbollah-linked group inside Israel about three months back on July 30.

"In a joint operation carried out with Shin Bet, the Israeli police arrested members of an armed group belonging to Hezbollah that had carried out cross-border smuggling runs and gathering information in the heart of Israel," the statement said.

"The group was headed by Diab Qahmauz and included as members Adel Ewnat, Mohsen Qahmouz, Jamil Qahouz, Yousef Qahmouz, Maher Hirbawi and Mamdouh Ibrahim," it added.

All members of the cell, who were residents of the border town of Ghajar, were taken into custody.

Police alleged Diab Qahmauz had received two bombs from Hezbollah through cross-border smuggling activity and was tasked with carrying out an attack on a site of his choosing in Israeli-controlled Haifa city.

Separately, Israeli army detained 36 Palestinians during overnight raids carried out in the Israeli-occupied territories of Bank and East Jerusalem, a Palestinian nongovernmental organization said.

"Israeli troops arrested 16 Palestinians after raiding their homes in the East Jerusalem's village of al-Issawiya," the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a statement.

"Twenty [other] Palestinians were arrested after Israeli forces stormed their houses in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Tulkarem and Al-Khalil [Hebron]," the statement added.

The Israeli army frequently carries out sweeping arrest campaigns in the occupied territories that ostensibly target Palestinians who are "wanted" by the Israeli-occupation authorities.

Over 7,000 Palestinians are currently languishing in prisons throughout the Jewish state, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs.