The Security Forces of Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, arrested on Sunday 12 Hamas members in the occupied West Bank, including a senior fighter and leader of the Al Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. The arrests were focused in the districts of Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem, Bethlehem and Hebron.
One of the arrestees is a senior leader of the Al Qassam Brigades. Ayyoub Al Qawasma was arrested after the Palestinian Security forces surrounded his home in Hebron, in the southern part of the West bank. He tops Israel’s “wanted list” since more than 12 years.
Israel hailed the arrest as Al Qawasma survived several Israeli attempts to kidnap or assassinate him, local sources reported, media sources reported.
In Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank, the security forces kidnapped Adel Al Madbouh, his brother Adli, Khader Asqalan, Amjad Asqalan, Rami Sayma, Faraj Sayma, and Bashar Mansour the the brother of Omar Mansour who was previously assassinated by Israel along with Jamal Mansour and Jamal Salim.
In Tulkarem, in the northern part of the West Bank, the security forces arrested Sara’ Monir Raddad and Mo’min Nawwaf Raddad.
In Bethlehem, the security forces arrested Abdul-Rahman Al Shawawra, from Al Shawawra town, and informed his family that he will remain imprisoned until his brother hands himself in.
In Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, the security forces arrested the Imam of Jaba’ village mosque.
In related news, Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Sunday at dawn, Ibrahim Fadel Al Sheik, from Biddo town, near Jerusalem. Al Sheikh was recently released from a Palestinian detention center.
The army also kidnapped Mohammad Hamdan and Journalist Mohammad Raddad, from Saida town; both were previously arrested and detained by the Palestinian security forces.
In the central West bank city of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers broke into the house of Fadi Hamad, who is currently detained by the Palestinian security forces, and told his family that he must hand himself in to the army directly after he is released by the Palestinian security forces.
Hamad, a former detainee, was arrested by the Palestinian security forces after he was elected as the head of the student’s council at Bir Zeit University, near Ramallah.