Israeli forces arrested a dozen senior figures in the Hamas terror group overnight in a sweep of the West Bank city of Hebron and surrounding areas.
The arrests were a preemptive measure in preparation for coming Palestinian celebrations over the weekend to mark the anniversary of the founding of Hamas in 1987, according to Hebrew-language reports Thursday morning citing the military.
Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to a Times of Israel request for comment.
The Hamas-linked al-Rai news site reported that unnamed “local sources” said the arrests included Issa Al-Jabari, a former minister of local government for Hamas who has been in and out of Israeli prisons for years, and Abdel Khaliq al-Natsheh was identified as a Hamas leader.
Other arrested included Jamal al-Natsheh, Jawad al-Natsheh, Amr Qawasmi and Mazen al-Natsheh, according to al-Rai.
There were clashes between security forces and Palestinians during the arrests but no injuries reported, according to Hebrew-language media.
Hamas spokesman Adbel Latif al-Qanou told Gaza-based news site Sawa that the arrests constituted “an abortive attempt to harm [Hamas’s] young people and base and break the will of its leadership.”
As part of the preparations for unrest expected over the coming days, security forces have been boosted in the West Bank and along the Gaza border area. READ MORE
