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NABLUS, West Bank - Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Nablus today, putting 30,000 Palestinians under curfew as soldiers searched for wanted militants.
Hundreds of soldiers and dozens of armoured vehicles cordoned off the centre of Nablus in what its governor, Kamal al-Sheikh, described as the biggest Israeli operation in the city since 2004.
Around 13 Palestinian civilians were lightly wounded by rubber bullets in confrontations with soldiers, hospital officials said.
An Israeli army spokesman said troops used rubber bullets and teargas against Palestinians throwing rocks and cement blocks and that two soldiers were slightly wounded by an explosive charge.
"Israeli forces in Nablus are acting against a broad terrorist infrastructure in order to prevent terrorist activity originating from the city," the army said in a statement.
Palestinian security sources said 25 Palestinians were still being detained by Israeli forces.
The army said it was in the process of releasing those detained and had arrested two wanted militants since Saturday.
It said Israeli troops had uncovered two explosives laboratories in Nablus containing several pipe bombs and other devices in raids launched since Saturday.
Residents said soldiers announced over loudspeakers on Sunday that a curfew would be enforced in the centre of Nablus, where 30,000 people live.
The army, which gave no time limit for the operation, also took over several radio frequencies, drowning out local stations to broadcast to residents the names of wanted militants.
Residents said the wanted men included members of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, part of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction, and the Islamic Jihad group.
Islamic Jihad, which carried out a suicide bombing that killed three people in Israel on January 29, did not sign on to a Gaza ceasefire that militants declared with Israel in November.
The group said it wanted the truce to extend to the occupied West Bank.
- REUTERS
