Israeli army invades several villages near Jenin and kidnaps five Palestinians

Thursday May 31, 2007 10:42 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli army forces stormed a number of villages near Jenin city, in the northern part of the West Bank, and kidnapped five civilians on Thursday morning.

Local sources identified the three as Mustafa Zaied, 22, Adieb Samoudi, 22, and Morad Nawahda. They were all taken from the village of Al Yamoun, west of Jenin.

Witnesses said that troops entered Al Yamoun from several directions. During the search, soldiers ransacked homes and forced families into the street. Witnesses added that troops opened fire into the homes of residents causing some damage but no injuries. The operation lasted for five hours.

While the Israeli army claimed that they were looking for Palestinian activists on their wanted list, local sources stated that the three kidnapped are civilians.

In the meantime, in Kufer Dan village, west of Jenin, soldiers searched and ransacked scores of homes. Israeli troops damaged some belongings before leaving. One man and his son were kidnapped by the army. Sources in the village identified the two as Rassem Abed, 50, and his son, Manae, 20.

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