Kidnapping of Israeli boys 'no joke' for Palestinians
Israel is tightening its grip on the West Bank and intensifying mock air raids over the Gaza Strip, as Palestinians anticipate an Israeli response to the June 12 kidnappings.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — With every passing hour since the abduction of three teenagers in the West Bank on June 12, questions increase over what Israel will do and whether it will launch a new military offensive against the Palestinians.
Everyone is waiting for any information that might reveal the three kidnapped teenagers' fate, which the Palestinians say Israel is not divulging.
A high-ranking security source in the West Bank told Al-Monitor over the phone that Israel has tightened its grip on the territory, “Nobody knows whether the abduction was made by an Arab or Palestinian party. The Israelis have closed all the regions,” the source said. “They are the only ones issuing media statements and releasing information, whereas the statements of the Palestinian Authority (PA) came within a general political framework.”
A security source in the Gaza Strip told Al-Monitor that the government’s security centers have been evacuated, presumably out of fear of a possible Israeli strike.
