Israeli occupation forces raided Askar refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus and rounded up hundreds of its residents in a high school backyard on Tuesday, August 24, witnesses said.

300 Palestinians were detained between ages 16 and 50, Israeli forces formally arrested at least one, the rest were released later that day. "Anyone proving to have no connection with terrorism will be freed," an Israeli source said.

Israeli military sources claimed that its forces were “cracking down” on Palestinian militants in Nablus. This incursion came a day after Israeli troops withdrew from Nablus after a week of searches and arrests in the city center.

Dozens of Israeli forces backed by army jeeps and armored vehicles, entered the camp early Tuesday, enforced a curfew and sealed off all the camp’s entrances, Palestinian sources confirmed.

Nablus is the biggest city in the West Bank; it has been a regular target for Israeli raids and attacks during the last four years. Since December 2003, the Israeli army intensified its daily incursions into the city, destroying Nablus specifically its old city which is full of historical sights, shops and homes.