Israel detains female Hamas MP in West Bank raid

HEBRON, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army detained a Hamas-affiliated female Palestinian lawmaker in overnight raids carried out in the occupied West Bank, the Hamas-backed Change and Reform Party said in a statement released Thursday.

“Large numbers of Israeli troops raided the home of MP Samira Halayka in the town of Al-Shyookh near the West Bank city of Hebron [Al-Khalil],” the statement read.

“After her home was searched by Israeli forces, she was whisked away to an unknown location,” it added.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces detained two Hamas-affiliated Palestinian lawmakers during overnight raids carried out in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

According to the Palestinian Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs, the latest arrests bring the total number of Palestinian lawmakers now in Israeli custody to ten.

The Israeli army frequently carries out sweeping arrest campaigns targeting “wanted” Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Currently, over 7,000 Palestinians are languishing in prisons throughout Israel, according to the Palestinian Ministry for Prisoners’ Affairs.