Israeli forces arrest six teenagers

Israeli forces arrest six Palestinian teenagers, all under 16, in the town of Beit Ummar, and take them to an unknown detention center, witnesses said.

The soldiers claim that the youth took part in a protest on Sunday over settlements in the area between Beit Ummar and the nearby Karmi Tzur settlement.

Beit Ummar is a Palestinian town located eleven kilometers northwest of al-Khalil in the southern West Bank.

Witnesses said that the soldiers entered the area in vehicles bearing Palestinian number-plates from the southern Halhoul road at around 7.30 pm. They then surrounded the area, and fired grenades and smoke bombs before arresting the teenagers.

An Israeli military source said the operation was conducted by a special unit of border police.

An Israeli military spokesman later confirmed reports that Israeli vehicles had entered the town, reportedly looking for stone throwers.

Rights groups express concern at the rising number of Palestinian juveniles as young as 12 who are held behind bars and ‘treated like terrorists’ by the Israeli army.