In response to rockets fire from the Gaza Strip on Israeli border towns, Israeli army conducted a large-scale arrest operation against senior members of Hamas in the West Bank on Thursday morning.

According to local daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) detained 33 Hamas officials including a minister, four mayors and municipality heads, as well as three lawmakers.

It specified that Palestinian Education Minister Nasser al-Deen Shaer, Hamed al-Bitawi, a member of the Palestinian legislative council and Adly Yaish, mayor of Nablus on behalf of Hamas were among the detainees.

The Israeli army also confirmed that arrests had been made in the region but gave no further details.

Meanwhile, similar arrests were made in other West Bank cities.

In Qalqiliya, forces arrested Mayor Wajih Quawas and in the village of Beita, adjacent to Nablus, they arrested Muarab el- Shurfa, who heads the local municipality.

Israeli army stepped up its military operation in the Palestinian territories after a 32-year-old Israeli woman was killed Monday evening when a rocket hit a vehicle near a bakery in the southern town of Sderot.

Last time Israel carried out such an operation was following the abduction of IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit in June 2006. Much of Hamas' leadership was arrested by the IDF after Shalit's abduction and some are still imprisoned.

Israeli government has authorized the IDF to step up measures against the militant groups launching Qassams, including possible strikes against Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders. More than 40 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air strikes in the past week.

Source: Xinhua