Israeli troops have captured a founder member of the Islamic militant group Hamas during an incursion into the Gaza Strip. Sheikh Mohammed Taha is reported to be the first senior Hamas political leader to be arrested since the Palestinian uprising began in September 2000. Eight Palestinians were reported to have been killed, including a pregnant woman and a child, when Israeli tanks, backed by helicopters, entered the camp at Bureij, in central Gaza. Monday’s raid followed a pledge by Israel’s defence minister that he would intensify pressure on Hamas, which has carried out numerous suicide bombings against Israelis. Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantisi said Mohammed Taha’s arrest was a big loss to the group, the Associated Press reported. “But this does not mean that Hamas is going to stop resistance. Israel will pay a high price for all its crimes,” he was quoted as saying. The Palestinian Authority called on the United States to condemn the Israeli operation in Gaza. Full Story
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