Israeli forces shoot, arrest Palestinian man sought since 2017 in West Bank raid

Samer Bani Odeh wounded during raid on family homes in Tammun; another Palestinian hospitalized after alleged assault at checkpoint

Israeli forces shot and arrested a Palestinian man they had been pursuing since 2017 during a raid in the northern occupied West Bank on Wednesday, a local prisoners' rights official told Anadolu. Samer Bani Odeh, a man in his 40s, was shot in the hand when Israeli special forces raided his home and those of his brothers in the town of Tammun, southeast of Tubas, said Kamal Bani Odeh, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club in Tubas. Earlier Wednesday, Israeli forces detained one of Samer Bani Odeh's brothers in an attempt to pressure him to surrender, releasing him several hours later, the official said. Bani Odeh previously spent two years in Israeli prisons during the Second Intifada, according to the official. His family has faced repeated Israeli raids and arrests over the years, including the detention of his wife, son and brothers, he added. Separately, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a 21-year-old Palestinian was hospitalized after being beaten by Israeli forces at the Al-Murabba checkpoint west of Nablus. The man, from the nearby village of Tell, had been detained since 7 am before being released hours later, the society said. Around 9,350 Palestinians, including 350 children and 90 women, are held in Israeli prisons, where human rights groups have reported widespread torture, starvation and medical neglect, contributing to dozens of deaths in custody.