Palestinian sources reported Thursday that the IDF has arrested again one of Hamas' leaders in the West Bank, Sheikh Hassan Yousef. According to the report, Sheikh Yousef was arrested while trying to cross the Zatara checkpoint south of Nablus, after returning from a family visit in Jenin.
The sources noted that the Hamas leader was detained for several hours at the checkpoint together with his wife and children. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said it is checking the report.
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Hamas deputy parliamentary speaker, Ahmed Bahar addressed the report saying "the policy of arrests will not break our people and will not diminish their rights and national standing."
Yousef was released from an Israeli prison less than a month ago after six years. A senior Palestinian source said at the time that the sheikh's release would not affect Hamas' dwindling status in the West Bank. "Yousef has not had influence over people for some time now," the source said.
Sheikh Yousef is considered one of Hamas' founders, and served as a leader in the West Bank during the al-Aqsa intifada.
His son, Mosab Hassan Yousef, was a key Shin Bet agent during the intifada and wrote a book about his experience as the informant son of a Hamas leader.
Since his release, Sheikh Yousef spoke in favor of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement many times. He claimed that Israel negotiated with Hamas prisoners in order to bring about the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit. Most recently, he slammed Israel's military policy in Gaza in the backdrop of the escalation in the south.
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