Hamas officials released a statement accusing Palestinian Authority forces of detaining three of the party's affiliates from locations across the West Bank overnight Thursday.

The three were reportedly from Nablus and Hebron, although the arrests could not be independently verified by Ma'an.

Continued accusations of politically-motivated detentions come as Hamas and Fatah remain in a unity-talk stalemate. A hint of progress came in February when Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Sha'ath entered the Strip for the first time since the Hamas takeover, and was warmly welcomed by de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

A subsequent Fatah delegation, however, was denied permission by the local government to visit the coastal area, and the delegation was reduced to a single member, who entered Gaza on Thursday.