Monday, February 4, 2013

IDF arrests senior Hamas figures in the West Bank

(JPost) The IDF has arrested a number of senior Hamas figures in the West Bank, Palestinian sources said Monday.

The sources said the Hamas officials were arrested in pre-dawn raids on their homes in Nablus and Hebron.

An IDF spokeswoman confirmed that 23 Hamas members were taken into custody out of a total of 25 arrests made Monday. The arrests occurred in Nablus, Ramallah, Qalqiliya, and Hebron.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, a senior defense source said the arrests were part of a wider effort to prevent Hamas from assembling an infrastructure in the West Bank.

"It's part of the 'lawn mowing' that is required to stop Hamas from converting street popularity and its motivation into organizational achievements," the source added.

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