The Islamic Hamas movement warned Tuesday that it would wage a new Intifada, or uprising, against Israel and Palestinian security forces in the West Bank if arrests against Hamas activists continued.
Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a statement sent to reporters that "Hamas warns of a new Intifada against the occupation and its supplementary tools in the West Bank if the arrests continue."
He accused Palestinian security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of cooperating with the Israeli army for carrying out "mass arrests and awful crimes against Hamas movement's activists in the West Bank."
"The continuation of the arrest campaigns and raids carried out by Abbas security forces in the West Bank is serving the goal of the Israeli occupation to uproot the movement there," said Abu Zuhri.
Since Saturday, Abbas security forces arrested more than 150 Hamas-affiliated members and activists, including deputy mayor of Nablus, municipal council members, academics and intellectuals, said Hamas.
Meanwhile, Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip arrested around 200 Fatah members and closed down dozens of charities and civil institutions.
Rival Fatah and Hamas began a verbal war and arrest campaigns against each other following a mysterious blast targeting a Hamas militants' car in Gaza late Friday.
Hamas blamed Fatah movement behind the blast which killed five Hamas militants and a child, and wounded around 20 people, but Fatah denied any involvement.
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