JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel arrested a top Hamas leader in the West Bank that it had released from jail several weeks ago.
The Israeli military arrested Sheik Hassan Yusef late Wednesday night in the West Bank as he crossed a checkpoint between the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus, the French news agency AFP reported.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Palestinian reports of Yusef’s arrest but did not give any details as to why he was detained.
Yusef, a founder of Hamas, was released from an Israeli prison in early August as a good-will gesture for Ramadan. He was serving a six-year sentence for membership in a terrorist organization.
His son, Mosab Hassan Yusef, served as an informant for Israel’s Shin Bet security service and authored the book "Son of Hamas." Yusef disowned his son.
