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Israel Arrests Senior Hamas Commander


The mother of Maher Uda, a top Hamas commander arrested by Israel in the West Bank overnight, shows journalists a framed picture of her 47-year-old son at the family's home in the village of Ein Yabrud near Ramallah on 14 Mar 2010
The mother of Maher Uda, a top Hamas commander arrested by Israel in the West Bank overnight, shows journalists a framed picture of her 47-year-old son at the family's home in the village of Ein Yabrud near Ramallah on 14 Mar 2010

The Israeli military says it has arrested a senior commander of the Palestinian faction Hamas after he spent more than a decade on the run.

Israeli troops and the Shin Bet security service caught Maher Uda overnight Saturday near the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Uda has been on Israel's most wanted list since the 1990s. He is considered a founding member of the Hamas military branch in the West Bank. Israel blames him for the deaths of at least 70 Israelis.

Hamas has accused Palestinian security forces of helping Israel detain Uda. The Palestinian Authority has not commented on the case.

The Palestinian Authority runs the West Bank, while Hamas has control over the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Islamist group took control of Gaza in 2007, after battling forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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