This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8566628.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Hamas leader seized in West Bank | Hamas leader seized in West Bank |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A leading member of the Hamas militant group has been arrested in the West Bank, the Israeli army says. | A leading member of the Hamas militant group has been arrested in the West Bank, the Israeli army says. |
| It says Mahar Uda was seized overnight in the Ramallah region. It did not provide further details. | It says Mahar Uda was seized overnight in the Ramallah region. It did not provide further details. |
| Mr Uda, aged 47, is said to be one of the founders of Hamas' armed wing in the West Bank. | Mr Uda, aged 47, is said to be one of the founders of Hamas' armed wing in the West Bank. |
| Israeli security forces have been hunting for him for more than 10 years in connection with a series of deadly attacks in Israel, the army says. | Israeli security forces have been hunting for him for more than 10 years in connection with a series of deadly attacks in Israel, the army says. |
| "He had been on the wanted list since the end of the 1990s for his implication in a series of suicide attacks in Israel which claimed 70 lives," an Israeli military spokesman told the AFP news agency. | "He had been on the wanted list since the end of the 1990s for his implication in a series of suicide attacks in Israel which claimed 70 lives," an Israeli military spokesman told the AFP news agency. |
| Militants under Mr Uda's command also allegedly gathered ammunition for Hamas attacks against Israel and kidnapped Palestinians suspected of co-operating with Israel. | Militants under Mr Uda's command also allegedly gathered ammunition for Hamas attacks against Israel and kidnapped Palestinians suspected of co-operating with Israel. |
| Israeli forces and the rival West Bank Palestinian leadership have clamped down on the militant group since 2007. | |
| That was when Hamas took sole control of Gaza, which is blockaded by Israel. | |
| Hamas is the largest Palestinian militant Islamist organisation, formed in 1987 at the beginning of the first intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israel's occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. | |
| Designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU, it is seen by its supporters as a legitimate fighting force defending Palestinians from a brutal military occupation. |