Israeli forces beat, abuse detained Palestinians during West Bank raid

Israeli soldiers physically assaulted the relatives of a slain Palestinian man during a mass detention of Palestinians, amid a raid on the city of Dura near the West Bank city of Hebron, late on Wednesday.

In a video published by Arabic-language media, one Israeli soldier was seen kicking a Palestinian man in the stomach and his head, as well as hitting him with his rifle.

The detained Palestinian man was sitting on the floor, beside a plastic chair outside the home of the Hrebiat family, where he was rounded up among other Palestinians during the raid.

The man was assaulted to the point of falling onto the ground.

In the video, the physically assaulted Palestinian man did not provoke or do anything that would warrant the Israeli soldier physically assaulting him.

Later in the clip, published by Al Jazeera Mubasher, other detained men were also seen being physically manhandled and struck by the Israeli soldiers as they paced around the home where they were being held.

Moments later, another Palestinian man was pushed to the ground by three troops, before a fourth soldier joined in assaulting him. 

The detained men appeared to be of varying age groups.

Raid on family home

The Israeli forces' detention and assault of the men came during a raid on the home of 20-year-old Abdul Fattah Hreibat, who was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank earlier on Wednesday, after he was suspected of carrying out a car-ramming and stabbing attempt in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Hreibat was shot and killed on the scene after he was accused of targeting an Israeli soldier in the Hebron Hills, according to the Israeli military.

Hreibat’s father and two brothers were arrested in the ordeal. Pictures released on Thursday by Palestinian media showed visible bruising and marks on the father's face as a result of the Israeli assault.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, six of those detained sustained injuries that required hospitalisation for treatment.

Hebron, on Thursday, began observing a general strike in protest against the killing of Hreibat, Wafa said, with shops, educational and public institutions closing their doors.

Home demolitions, military attacks ongoing 

Elsewhere in the occupied territory, Israeli forces demolished a two-storey house in Nablus, after soldiers accompanied by two bulldozers were seen storming the New Nablus and Upper Taawoun areas of the city.

One of the storeys was inhabited while the other was under construction and belonged to the al-Adham family, according to Wafa.

Israeli troops also destroyed an agricultural facility in the Khallet al-Nahla area, near the village of Wadi Rahal located south of Bethlehem.

Israeli forces often destroy Palestinian homes and properties as part of their collective punishment of the families of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks on Israelis.

Israel also destroys homes after claiming they were built without a legal permit.

Also in Nablus, several Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire after troops stormed the city on Thursday. The Israelis raided the city's markets and deployed in force, according to The New Arab's sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Soldiers are still targeting Palestinians in Jenin and Tulkarm as part of a months-long military operation in the West Bank as living conditions worsen there.

On Thursday, Israeli forces were deployed extensively since the early morning hours in and around Nour Shams camp in Tulkarm, setting up multiple checkpoints.

Troops imposed restrictions on those wishing to leave or enter the camp, subjecting them to ID checks, interrogations, and physical searches.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military announced that it would carry out the destruction of at least 15 buildings in the camp, forcibly displacing residents.

Meanwhile in Jenin, Israeli special forces stormed a house in the town of Barta'a, surrounding it with heavy military vehicles. They then partially destroyed it with a bulldozer.

The move was carried out in a likely response to a suspected shooting attack on Wednesday at the al-Rihan checkpoint near Barta'a, which injured four Israelis, including two reserve soldiers.

At least 45 Palestinians were detained throughout Wednesday and up until Thursday morning, as part of Israel's wider crackdown on the territory in parallel with the war in Gaza.