Hamas issued a statement on Friday in which it condemned the kidnapping of a number of its leaders and cadres at the hands of persons thought to be connected with the Palestinian security services.
In Tulkarem, Dr. Reyad al-Ras, head of the Engineering college at al-Najah university in Nablus was kidnapped from his home Friday morning. People in Tulkarem demonstrated to protest his kidnapping and threatened to storm security services centres to release him. He was later released.
In Bethlehem, Hasan Safi, an elected municipal council member, was kidnapped by armed men. Basem Abeido from Hebron and Kamal Shahin from Nablus were also kidnapped in similar raids.
Earlier, a number of Hamas cadres were kidnapped in Gaza. The kidnappers claimed that the Hamas cadres were responsible for the kidnap of Sami Ajjour an aide of the head of General Security Tariq Shanioura. Hamas said it had nothing to do with the kidnapping of Ajjour and these were internal (within the security services) differences being settled, PIC reported.
The Hamas statement held the Palestinian security services the full responsibility for the kidnapping of its leaders and cadres and stressed that the movement is keen to solve such problems peacefully.
