JERUSALEM, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli troops have arrested nine Palestinians from the village of the jailed teen, Ahed Tamimi, including a cousin shot by the army in December, the military and local media said Monday.
The pre-dawn arrests took place in Nabi Saleh in the central Israeli-occupied West Bank, one of the main sites of struggle against the Israeli occupation.
A military spokesperson confirmed in a statement that nine residents of Nabi Saleh were arrested overnight. "The detainees are suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, popular terror and violent disturbances against civilians and security forces," the spokesperson added in a statement.
According to Palestinian media, armed forces raided the village and arrested four minors and other relatives, including Mohammed Tamimi, a 15-year-old cousin of Ahed Tamimi.
In December, Israeli forces shot him in his head with a rubber-coated bullet, causing a permanent to his skull.
Shortly after he was shot, Ahed Tamimi was caught on a video kicking two soldiers outside her family home. The video became viral, leading to her arrest.
She became an icon of the Palestinian resistance against the occupation and an international campaign is calling for her release.
Tamimi is facing 12 counts of charges, including assault, incitement, and throwing stones. Her trial in an Israeli military court is being held behind closed doors.
Israel seized the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war and has held them ever since, despite international criticism and a persistent Palestinian struggle.
