Hamas Arrests Islamist Leader
Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip, moving to ease border tensions and confront an internal challenge to their authority, have arrested the spiritual leader of an Islamist group that claims responsibility for firing rockets at Israel in defiance of a two-year-old truce.
The arrest of Hisham al-Suaydani, confirmed Sunday by Hamas officials, followed stepped-up Israeli air strikes against the Palestinian enclave. The latest round of strikes damaged three Hamas military bases late Saturday, causing damage but no casualties, officials in Gaza said.