Israel arrests 150 Palestinians in hunt for missing teens
Thousands of Israeli soldiers and police scour the West Bank in the hunt for three Israeli teenagers who have been missing for four nights.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that members of the “Hamas leadership and operatives” were among the 40 arrested on Sunday night, bringing the total number of arrests so far to 150.
Palestinian parliament speaker Aziz Dweik, a member of Hamas, was among those arrested.
The three Israeli teenagers disappeared after lessons at their religious studies institute near an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, late on Thursday night. There has been no sign of them despite thorough house-to-house searching over the weekend by special forces and paratrooper units.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly blamed Hamas for the disappearance (see video), but the group has denied the allegation.
As tensions continue to rise in the area, a 19-year-old Palestinian man was killed on Sunday in Ramallah amid clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians, said medics.
Roadblock checkpoints are operating throughout the West Bank and on routes leading to the Gaza Strip in an effort to prevent the boys from being secretly moved into Gaza.
Search teams are racing against the clock to try and find the three: Gilad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Frenkel. Rachel Fraenkel, mother of 16-year-old Naftali, tearfully thanked the public and the IDF for their support and search efforts (see video above). She added: “We are optimistic that God will see the combined effort of solidarity and prayer, and embrace the boys.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the kidnapping of the boys and issued a statement: “We are still seeking details on the parties responsible for this despicable terrorist act, although many indications point to Hamas’s involvement.
“As we gather this information, we reiterate our position that Hamas is a terrorist organisation known for its attacks on innocent civilians and which has used kidnapping in the past.”
After 80 Palestinians were detained on Saturday night, IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said: “Palestinian terrorists will not feel safe. They will not be able to hide and will feel the heavy arm of Israel’s military capabilities.”