Israeli soldiers arrested a prominent Hamas lawmaker from the West Bank in a pre-dawn raid on Wednesday, Israel’s military said.
The military said in a statement that Mahmoud Ramahi had been involved in recent Hamas activity. It gave no further details. Israel considers Hamas, an Iranian-backed militant group that has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks, a terrorist organization.
Ramahi’s wife, Amani, confirmed that her husband had been arrested, and said some of the troops had their faces masked.
Ramahi was among dozens of Hamas lawmakers and Cabinet ministers arrested in 2006 after Hamas-linked Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Ramahi was released in 2009.
Hamas’ Ahmed Bahar, deputy parliament speaker in Gaza, called the arrest "part of the comprehensive, systematic war against our homeland."
Hamas has ruled Gaza since ousting forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007, leaving Abbas governing only in the West Bank. Hamas members in the West Bank are subject to arrests by both Israeli and Palestinian security forces, and most rank and file members keep a low profile.
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