Israelis Raid Palestinian Village, Impose Curfew

09/04/2004| IslamWeb

Israeli occupation forces have imposed a curfew on the village of Asirah near the West Bank city of Nablus. The forces invaded the village at dawn on Thursday, raided and demolished a number of houses and damaged some cars while they were allegedly searching for wanted Palestinian fighters, witnesses told our correspondent. The forces also raided and captured a residential building in the Thannabat al-Matalah district. They arrested three fighters of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the correspondent said. **Official held captive*** Meanwhile, a Palestinian official from the Ministry of Prisoner Affairs was taken captive on Thursday by Israeli occupation troops in his office in the West Bank city of Ram Allah, a ministry source said. Muhammad al-Fuqayat heads a department of the ministry tasked with distributing financial aid to Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel. Israeli soldiers also searched the office of Qaddura Fares, a member of the mainstream al-Fatah movement in the Palestinian Authority cabinet whose headquarters is in the same building. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A Palestinian woman hands a baby to a family member over the new concrete wall that separates Jerusalem from the West Bank in Palestinian east Jerusalem's Abu Dis village. (AFP/File/Menahem Kahana)