Israeli forces Sunday arrested six Palestinians, including two minors, from the West Bank districts of Hebron and Nablus, according to security and local sources. Forces arrested a university student identified as Laith Asafreh from the town of Beit Kahil, after raiding and wreaking havoc in his family's home. Forces further arrested Awni Abu Shmsyeh, 16, while he was present at al-Shuhada Street in central Hebron. Meanwhile, coordinator of the anti settlement and wall committee Mohammed Awad, informed WAFA that forces stormed the town of Beit Ummar and arrested Allam Za'aqiq, 20, and Ma'amoun Alqam, 17, after raiding and searching their families' homes. In the Nablus area, forces arrested two Palestinians from the village of Awarta to the south of the district. They were identified as Ezzat and Raed Qawariq. According to an OCHA report covering the period between 10-16 of March 2015, "Israeli forces conducted 90 search and arrest operations and arrested 107 Palestinians in the West Bank, with the Hebron governorate accounting for the highest proportion of operations (23), while the highest number of arrests (32) was recorded in Jerusalem." According to the Palestinian Prisoners Centre for Studies (PPCS), the Israeli forces have arrested 78 Palestinian women in the first quarter of 2015, including several minors. It said that the year 2015 has seen a clear escalation in the detention of Palestinian women, including minors. 'Most of [the women] were arrested inside the Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa Mosque,' the NGO said. Meanwhile, forces set up a military checkpoint at the main entrance of the town of Beit Ummar, where they stopped and checked passengers' identity cards, obstructing Palestinian residents' movement and causing a traffic jam.
