Israeli soldiers arrest senior Hamas operative in the West Bank

[News_Editor]

Israeli soldiers arrest senior Hamas operative in the West Bank

2011-01-07 18:42:38 GMT+7 (ICT)

WEST BANK (BNO NEWS) -- Israeli soldiers on Friday morning arrested a senior member of the Hamas armed infrastructure in the West Bank, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

IDF said its soldiers arrested Wael Mahmoud Said Bitar, a senior member of the Hamas armed infrastructure in the Hebron Region of the West Bank. Bitar is alleged to have been the assistant of Shehab Natshe, who planned a suicide bombing in the Israeli city of Dimona in February 2008.

The suicide attack on February 4, 2008, which targeted a shopping center, left one Israeli woman killed along with two Palestinians. Nine or ten civilians were also injured, some seriously.

The IDF said that after Natshe was killed in the attack, Bitar planned several suicide attacks which were eventually thwarted. And in September 2008, Bitar was arrested by Palestinian forces.

During Friday's arrest, the IDF said, a Palestinian man who was present in one of the suspect's homes was killed. Few details about the circumstances of the death were immediately released.

"The IDF regrets the outcome of the incident and the GOC Central Command, Maj. Gen Avi Mizrachi has ordered the commander of Judea and Samaria Division, Brig. Gen. Nitzan Alon to immediately investigate the incident and to present its conclusions as early as next week," the IDF said in a brief statement, without providing further details.

In addition to Bitar, the IDF said four other Hamas operatives who were working alongside Bitar were also arrested overnight. All five of the Palestinians were released from a Palestinian prison on Thursday.

In the winter of 2008-2009, Israel launched a surprise airstrike against the Gaza Strip which marked the beginning of a three-week military conflict between Israel and Hamas, killing nearly 1,500 people and leaving thousands more injured and displaced. Israel stated its aim was top stop rocket fire from and arms import into Gaza.

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