RAMALLAH, West Bank — Since early June, Hamas has been subject to waves of arrest by the Israeli army in the West Bank, targeting the movement’s most prominent leaders. This resulted in a vacuum in Hamas’ leadership and a brief lack of communication with the public before Saed Abu Baha was appointed as the movement’s spokesman in the West Bank at the beginning of the Gaza war.

After three Israeli teen settlers went missing in Hebron in June, the occupation forces launched an arrest campaign targeting 2,000 Palestinians, most of whom were Hamas members, according to statistics acquired by Al-Monitor from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

These arrests targeted the first leading ranks in Hamas, represented by members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), university professors, social figures and former prisoners who were released following the Wafa al-Ahrar deal in 2011.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society’s statistics, 26 deputies from the movement have been arrested since the beginning of June, five of whom were later released. The rest joined 11 deputies who were previously detained in Israeli prisons, nine of whom are Hamas members.