By Xinhua
Ramallah : Palestinian security forces led by rival Fatah faction continued arresting members of the Islamic movement in West Bank, said Hamas on Sunday. The forces arrested 10 Hamas members in three West Bank cities on Saturday, Hamas said in a statement, adding that five were detained in Bethlehem, three in Tubas town and two in Hebron. Since Hamas routed President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction in Gaza last June, the pro-Abbas forces launched a crackdown on Hamas in West Bank to weaken the influence of the Islamic movement in the region.
The Fatah-dominated forces also closed dozens of organizations affiliated with Hamas.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called on President Abbas to help end torture at the West Bank custodies. The call came as a report issued about the circumstances of a Hamas Imam died in February. The report blamed the Palestinian General Intelligence Service on the death.