By Xinhua
Ramallah : Israeli troops have detained at least 24 Hamas members, including senior officials in the West Bank town of Nablus, the Islamic movement said Sunday.
“The detentions have basically and clearly focused on Hamas and the key leaders of the movement,” the Islamic movement said in a statement.
A Hamas lawmaker, Ahmed al-Hajj, and Hamas representative in Nablus Ahmed Doula were among the people detained by Israeli forces in recent days, the statement said.
It also said that Israeli soldiers had also stormed the house of Aziz al-Dewik, the jailed Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
In early November, Israel allowed the deployment of 500 Palestinian security troops loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah to boost the security in Nablus. Yet Israel has reserved the right to take control in the volatile town in the night, the statement said.
The pro-Abbas security services have also been cracking down on Hamas in the West Bank since June as a response to Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile in Gaza, Hamas said, it had thwarted an Israeli attempt to arrest a commander after Israeli undercover forces infiltrated eastern Gaza City and headed for his house near the border.
Ezz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, added that its fighters have exchanged fire with the Israeli forces as soon as they were noticed.