Mass arrests in West Bank by IDF

Palestinian men raise their hands in the air as they pass an Israeli armored vehicle in front of the Balata refugee camp

TULKAREM, West Bank (CNN) -- Israeli forces have swept through three Palestinian towns arresting nearly 30 Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities, Israel Defense Forces said.

Seven Palestinians were arrested in Tamun, northwest of Nablus in the West Bank, early Saturday, the IDF said in its statement.

Another one was detained in Deheishe, while a further 20 were taken in for questioning from Nablus and Balata.

The Palestinians did not immediately confirm the report.

The action took place after the IDF moved into West Bank towns and refugee camps during the past couple of days.

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About 10 Israeli armored personnel carriers drove into Tulkarem late Friday and ordered residents to stay inside their homes, Palestinian security forces said. The Israelis imposed a curfew after the incursion, which took place around 11 p.m. (4 p.m. EDT), the security forces said.

The IDF acknowledged its troops were in Tulkarem, but described the operation as a patrol searching for suspected suicide bombers, and predicted they would leave shortly.

The Tulkarem operation followed Israeli incursions late Thursday and Friday in Nablus and the town of Qalqilya. Israel said its goal was to round up suspected militants.

The incursions came after two Israelis were killed by a suicide bomber in Petah Tikva Monday and after a Palestinian gunman shot and killed three teenage Jewish students at the Itamar settlement southeast of Nablus Tuesday.

Heavy gunfire and tank shelling was heard after 13 armored IDF personnel carriers and 10 tanks surrounded the Balata refugee camp in Nablus Friday, Palestinian security sources reported.

The IDF confirmed the incursion into the Palestinian-controlled area but gave no details other than to say the raid was aimed at arresting those accused of being involved in terrorist activities.

Among those arrested was Issam Abu Baker, head of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement in Nablus, Israel radio reported. The arrest was later confirmed by his family.

The IDF also moved into the West Bank city of Qalqilya overnight, the IDF added.

Tenet heads back to region

In the Jewish West Bank settlement of Shavei Shomron, a settler shot and killed a Palestinian man Friday who had infiltrated the settlement near Nablus, the IDF said.

The man had set off an explosive device before he was shot, Israel added. According to the IDF, the man was carrying hand grenades and a rifle.

The suicide bomber that struck Petah Tikva was a cousin of one of three Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade members who were killed earlier by Israel. The cousin's family home was destroyed by Israel Friday.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is a military offshoot of Fatah and has carried out numerous attacks against military targets and civilians in Israel and in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. In March, the U.S. State Department designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization.

CIA Director George Tenet headed to the Middle East on Friday for consultations with Israeli and Palestinian security officials to discuss the prospects for renewed security cooperation between the two sides, officials said.