Occupied Jerusalem: The Israeli regime’s security forces arrested 24 members of Hamas in overnight raids in the northern West Bank, its army said on Tuesday.
The raids targeted a Hamas network in Qalqilya, a town just over the Green Line from Israel that is partly surrounded by Israel’s controversial separation barrier.
“The heads of the network, who ran the regional headquarters, were operating to renew Hamas activity in the area and plotting terror activity,” the regime’s army said.
Those detained included “senior Hamas operatives who have been previously arrested for participating and planning Hamas terror activity,” it said, adding that around $9,000 had been seized.
Palestinian security officials confirmed the overnight raids.
The arrests come amid a flare-up of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories that has seen 75 Palestinians and 10 Israelis killed since October 1.
The unrest has largely consisted of apparent solo attacks by young Palestinians on Israelis but Israel has accused Hamas of encouraging the violence from its bases in the Gaza Strip and in exile in Qatar.
