Israeli troops have raided towns across the West Bank, arresting 26 Palestinians accused of being fighters a day after mounting violence left a five-month-old truce in tatters, the army said.

The Israeli occupation army said it had arrested 16 people on Saturday in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, five Islamic Jihad fighters in the town of Bethlehem and five Hamas fighters in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Tulkarim curfew

Meanwhile, Aljazeera reported that the Israeli army continues to impose a curfew on Tulkarim and its surrounding villages for the fourth consecutive day.

The forces have launched raid-and-search operations in the city, arresting two Hamas activists.

Residents in Tulkarim are suffering from shortages of food, children's milk and medicines, Aljazeera's correspondent in Palestine, Muain Shadid, reported.

Palestinian sources said the curfew in Tulkarim would be lifted on Saturday but only for four hours.

Palestinian movement has been paralysed within Tulkarim, as Israeli forces have prevented people from entering or exiting the city, Shadid added.

Activist's house surrounded

An Israeli military force has surrounded the house of an alleged al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades activist in central Tulkarim city, calling on him to surrender.

Israeli forces have also occupied the house of an Islamic Jihad leader, Luay al-Sadi, in Atil town, north of Tulkarim.

The Israeli army accuses al-Sadi of being the mastermind behind the latest operation in Netanya and other operations in Shafi Shamron settlement, Baqa al-Sharqiya town and Tel Aviv last February.

The Israeli army has announced the military operation will not end before reaching al-Sadi and destroying Islamic Jihad's infrastructure.

Shops closed

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade activists have fired shots in the air in Ram Allah city, calling on owners of shops to close them in mourning for the Palestinians who were killed in the past few days in Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Wail al-Shyukhi, Aljazeera's correspondent in Palestine reported.  

Dozens of Palestinian security forces have been deployed in the streets of Ram Allah, calling on owners of shops to reopen.

This has triggered a state of confusion among citizens and shopowners, al-Shyukhi added.

The closing of shops is a protest and an attempt to prove to the world that Palestinian citizens condemn the Israeli violations, and the killing of Palestinian resistance activists and civilians, al-Shyukhi reported.

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