Israel arrests Hamas members in overnight West Bank raids

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The Israeli military said on Sunday it arrested 29 people, including a number of Hamas leaders and activists, in an overnight raid in the West Bank.

The arrests took place in the Palestinian cities of Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Qalqiliya and Ramallah.

The arrests include the finance minister of the Hamas-led government and MP Omar Abdel Razaq and a number of released Hamas prisoners and citizens, local media said.

The announcement came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that a rocket fired from the Hamas-controlled area toward Israel exploded in mid-air in the early hours of Sunday.

The arrests took place a day after three members of the Salamon family were stabbed to death in the Halamish settlement in the West Bank.

The attack happened on Friday night when a 19-year-old Palestinian, Omar al-Abed, from a nearby village, burst into their home armed with a large knife and began stabbing family members who had gathered to celebrate the birth of a grandson.

The attacker was affiliated with Hamas but was not an activist, reported the Times of Israel citing a senior IDF official.

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