Israeli forces arrested 24 so-called wanted Palestinians in West Bank early Wednesday during several raids in the occupied territory, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.

The Palestinian sources said the raids took place in the cities of Tulkarem, Ramallah and Hebron and most of the detentions occurred in Beit Umar neighborhood in northern Hebron.

The Israeli radio said the detainees were wanted by the state's security and intelligence services and were taken for interrogation, but it did not reveal which Palestinian group the detainees belong to.

The Israeli army storms the West Bank neighborhoods on daily basis to conduct searching in the houses. The arrest campaigns mainly target what Israel calls wanted activist though irrelevant civilians were also being rounded up in these raids.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2009)