Palestinian Authority security forces detained two top Hamas affiliates in the West Bank on Monday night, the Islamist movement said
The two detained were identified as chief of the Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds TV Nawaf Al-Amar and Deputy Nablus Mayor Mahdi Al-Hanbali. A Hamas statement said the two were among 14 Hamas supporters detained by PA forces overnight.
In 2007, during the peak of Palestinian political infighting, Al-Hanbali was abducted by Fatah gunmen and held hostage for three days before his release.
Senior Hamas leader Fathi Al-Hayek, from the Zeta village in Salfit, was detained in the sweep, alongside Azziz Fattash, head of the Salfit deputies' office. Member of Jenin's Municipal Council Madi Al-Kilna, who was previously detained by PA forces and released only two weeks prior, was among those detained,Hamas said.
The arrests follow two days of detentions, which saw a third Hamas official arrested in Hebron on Sunday, leading the party to warn of retaliatory measures targeting Fatah officials in the Gaza Strip.
The warning was issued by Hamas spokesman Salah Bardawil on Monday following the detention of Khalid Al-Hajj in Hebron a day prior. The spokesman said the move was politically motivated and illegal, noting that as long as he remains in custody, "we will be obliged to reciprocate."
Both rival movements have accused one another of carrying out political arrests in the areas they presently govern respectively, with Hamas issuing nearly weekly statements on supporters being detained by Palestinian Authority security forces.
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