Israel arrests leading Hamas figure in occupied W. Bank

By Anees Bargouthi

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army has arrested Hassan Abu Quaik, a leading Hamas member, in overnight raids carried out in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a Palestinian NGO and eyewitnesses said Wednesday.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli army had arrested Abu Quaik from his home in the Al-Amari refugee camp near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

They added that clashes had erupted between Palestinian youths and Israeli army troops after the arrest of Abu Quaik and five other camp residents.

A senior Hamas figure in the West Bank, Abu Quaik was recently nominated as the Hamas candidate for Palestinian municipal polls slated for early October.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, a local NGO, reported on Wednesday that Israeli forces had arrested a total of 20 West Bank Palestinians in overnight raids.

"Twelve of them were rounded up after Israeli forces stormed areas in and around [the West Bank city of] Hebron," the NGO said in a statement.

The Israeli army frequently conducts mass arrests in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on the pretext that they are searching for "wanted" Palestinians.

Over 7,000 Palestinians are currently languishing in detention facilities throughout the Jewish state, according to the Palestinian Ministry for Prisoners’ Affairs.