Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it detained seven Palestinians during overnight raids in the occupied West Bank.

One raid took place in a village near Ramallah, another near Qalandiya (south of Ramallah) and a third in Hebron, the army said, adding that all the detainees were taken because they were “wanted.”

Additionally, after raiding the village of Jayous, northeast Qalqiliya, Israeli forces detained Muhammad Hasan Salim, 68, and took him to an unknown location.

Salim was expected to travel to Mecca to perform Hajj on Tuesday, under the sponsorship of Saudi Arabia who underwrote the cost of the pilgrimage for 2,000 Palestinians who lost relatives in Israeli attacks.

The raids come amid reports of progress toward a deal in which Israel would release 1,000 of the estimated 10,000 Palestinians it holds in its prisons in exchange for a soldier held by fighters in Gaza.