IDF arrests senior Hamas leader in West Bank raid, again

The Israel Defense Forces arrested one of the most senior Hamas West Bank leaders, Sheik Hassan Yousef, and his son, at their home in Bitunia, near Ramallah in the West Bank, on Tuesday. Three other senior Hamas operatives were arrested as well during the operation.

After the arrests, conflicting media reports emerged. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said it was checking into the circumstances and status of the arrests, although the Ramallah-based Maan News Agency said "an Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed the arrest [of Yousef] Monday, due to his affiliation with Hamas."

Yousef is considered to be one of the founders of Hamas as well as its spiritual leader.

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Yousef was released from an Israeli prison just two months ago because of overcrowding after spending six years in jail with 770 other Palestinian prisoners. This is his second arrest since that release. Upon his initial release, Yousef bragged that he had played a role in securing the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was abducted by Hamas in 2006 and held captive for five years before being released on Oct. 18. Yousef also called for all Palestinian factions to unite against Israel.

Known for his critical views of the Palestinian Authority, Yousef was quoted after Shalit’s release as saying, "The Palestinian Authority has not stopped arresting and summoning Hamas supporters, even during and after the swap."

Yousef's eldest son Mosab, who was also arrested in the IDF operation, published a book titled "Son of Hamas" in 2010, in which he claimed that he was a former Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) agent.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the arrest of Yousef and his son, saying, "This is an escalation by Israel, which continues to harm Palestinian icons for no good reason."

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