Israeli forces arrested 26 Palestinians on Wednesday night and early Thursday in various areas of the West Bank, Palestinian security sources said.

The detention took place when the Israeli troops stormed the cities of Jenin, Jericho, Tulkarem, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah and Bethlehem, the sources added.

The identities or the affiliation of the detainees were not yet disclosed, but Israel says its raids in the occupied West Bank almost on a daily basis target Palestinian activists wanted by Israeli security and intelligence services.

In Jenin, the invading troops forced some residents out of their houses and searched the buildings before arresting around seven of them.

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has repeatedly called on Israel to stop the unilateral measures in the West Bank that prevented peace talks from achieving any progress since they were launched in November 2007.