Israeli forces raid Palestinian refugee camp near Jerusalem

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES, Aug 5: Israeli forces on Wednesday raided a Palestinian refugee camp next to Jerusalem where tensions have been growing as residents fear eviction, the military and local leaders said.

AFP journalists saw about a dozen armoured military jeeps going into the Qalandia camp, which Israeli soldiers did not allow press or residents to enter, in the occupied West Bank.

"Security forces are operating in the Qalandia camp area in order to thwart terror and apprehend wanted individuals," a military official told AFP.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, said in an Arabic-language statement that the large-scale operation targeted "terrorist elements, terrorist infrastructure, and the possession and trafficking of weapons".�"AFP