IDF activity in Nablus
Photo: AP
Nablus: 2 pardoned Fatah members detained, then released
Palestinians say al-Aqsa members apprehended during IDF operation in refugee camp released by Israel for fear their arrest would jeopardize amnesty deal
Two senior members of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades were released a few hours after being apprehended by IDF forces operating in the Ein Beit Ilam refugee camp in Nablus, Palestinian sources reported Thursday.
According to the sources, the arrest of Ibrahim and Jamal Ismail angered senior Palestinian Authority officials who claimed the brothers were well-known for their activity against Hamas in the West Bank city and were recently pardoned by Israel in the framework of the amnesty deal.
Palestinian sources said the two were released by Israeli authorities for fear their arrest would cause dismay among the al-Aqsa Brigades and jeopardize the amnesty deal.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians have downplayed the IDF's operation in Nablus, saying none of the 36 men arrested were wanted terror suspects, adding that senior suspects from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine all left the refugee camp prior to the entrance of Israeli army forces.
The Palestinians said most of those detained by the IDF were relatives of the wanted terror suspects.
Earlier on Thursday the Palestinians reported that Israel had agreed to add 41 Fatah members from Nablus and dozens more from across the West Bank to the list of wanted gunmen included in the amnesty deal with the PA.
