Hamas says rise in arrests is related to coming elections

Fatah and Hamas are exchanging accusations about arrests of their members in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with each side claiming the other is trying to influence elections that haven't even been scheduled yet.
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Palestinian Hamas supporters shout slogans during a rally marking the 30th anniversary of Hamas' founding, Nablus, West Bank, Dec. 15, 2017. - REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini
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Ahmad Melhem
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RAMALLAH, West Bank — West Bank security services are continuing a crackdown on Hamas members, having arrested more than 200 recently in what Hamas says is a politically motivated campaign.

In just one week at the beginning of 2020, Hamas said in a Jan. 13 statement, 195 Hamas members were arrested in the West Bank on political grounds. Those arrested include university students, political activists and ex-prisoners freed from Israeli prisons; most were arrested in Nablus and Hebron. 

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