Israel detains cousin of 'heroic' Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi for protesting family's arrest

According to her husband Bilial Tamimi, Manal Tamimi was arrested outside Ofer prison on Thursday afternoon while protesting the detention of three other women from the Tamimi family.

Hours before her arrest, Manal accused Twitter of deleting Ahed’s account after it had mysteriously disappeared.

There has been an outpour of support for the detained teenage activist after a viral video of her slapping an Israeli soldier after her 14-year-old cousin, Mohammed Tamimi was shot in the face, leaving him in critical condition.

Manal was protesting for the release of Ahed and the teenager's mother Nariman Tamimi, 43 as well as cousin Nour Naji Tamimi, 21. The detention of the three women was extended on Monday, with their remand ending on Thursday.

No news has appeared of the three Tamimi women being released as of yet.

All three women appeared in the viral video that showed Ahed, who is being hailed as a national hero in Palestine, slapping an Israeli soldier, after he stormed into her house and shot Mohammed.

The footage shows Nour and Ahed approaching two Israeli soldiers before shoving, kicking and slapping them while filming on mobile phones.

The Tamimi family are at the forefront of regular protests in Nabi Saleh, a frequent scene of demonstrations against Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

The residents say part of the village's land was confiscated by Israeli authorities and given to a nearby Israeli settlement.

Palestinians on social media criticised Ahed's arrest, which happened in the middle of the night, arguing it is the people's right to resist military occupation.