According to local sources, a large number of zionist troops stormed Beitunia town in western Ramallah and kidnaped Sheikh Yousef, 63, from his home.

The ZOF also raided the house of senior Hamas official Hussein Abu Kuweik and made threats against him.

Sheikh Yousef and Abu Kuweik are both ex-detainees who spent long years in israeli jails. During the 2000 Palestinian intifada (uprising), the latter survived an assassination attempt when an israeli warplane bombed his car, killing his wife and three of his children.

Meanwhile, the ZOF raided homes of several ex-detainees affiliated with Hamas, appropriated sums of money belonging to some of them, and threatened to arrest them if they held or participated in events marking the founding anniversary of their Movement in the West Bank.

In Nablus, the ZOF kidnaped two brothers called Omar and Ahmed Ghazi from their home in Jamma'in town, south of Nablus.

Last night, a young man called Jamil al-Kayyal, a resident of Ras al-Ain neighborhood in Nablus, was killed during armed clashes between Israeli soldiers and resistance fighters in the city.

In Salfit, the ZOF kidnaped a citizen identified as Baraa Asi, an ex-detainee, from his home in Qarawat bani-Hassan town.

The ZOF also raided homes in al-Arroub refugee camp in northern al-Khalil and kidnaped three young men identified as Anas Jawabra, Ghassan Jawabra and Muayyad al-Sharbi.

Another young man identified as Mohamed al-Masalmeh was kidnaped from his home in Dura town, southwest of al-Khalil.

In east Jerusalem, police forces kidnaped an ex-detainee called Rami al-Fakhouri and his wife after raiding their home near the Bab al-Hitta neighborhood in the Old City. (ILKHA)