The Israel Defense Forces detained Hamas senior officials Naif Rajoub and Hatem Qafisha in Hebron Sunday morning, according to the Palestinian Authority’s official WAFA news agency.
Rajoub, brother of Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub, was formerly minister of religious affairs for the Gaza-based terror group, while Qafisha is the representative for Hebron in the Hamas-led Palestinian Legislative Council.
Hamas official Ahmad Bahr, head of the PLC in Gaza, condemns the arrests as “an attempt to isolate the Palestinian people from their representatives” in a statement.
Asked to comment on the detention of the two Hamas officials, the Shin Bet security service tells The Times of Israel that Rajoub and Qafisha had been “detained for an interrogation, at the end of which they ought to be released.”
The Shin Bet declines to comment on the grounds for the interrogations.
— Aaron Boxerman
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