Israel detains alleged Palestinian militants in West Bank

Israeli soldiers keep position during clashes with Palestinians at the northern entrance to the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)

• The arrest comes a day after six Palestinians were killed in Nablus

NABLUS, Palestine: Israel on Wednesday detained three alleged members of the Lions’ Den militant group in the occupied West Bank, the army said, including the brother of a key Palestinian militant.
The arrest of Muhammad Al-Nabulsi and two others in Nablus comes a day after five Palestinians were killed during an Israeli military operation in the city.
“Muhammad Al-Nabulsi was suspected of possessing weapons, manufacturing explosive devices and involvement in the ‘Lions’ Den’ terrorist group,” the army said in a statement.
His brother Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, nicknamed “The Lion of Nablus,” was shot dead by Israeli forces in August and has since become a folk hero among Palestinian youth.
The Lions’ Den has emerged in recent months alongside a sharp rise in raids by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank.
The three arrests on Wednesday follow the killing on Tuesday of Wadih Al-Houh, described by Israel as the head of the Lions’ Den, and four other Palestinians in Nablus.
A further 20 Palestinians were wounded in the Israeli operation, the Palestinian health ministry said.
In addition to regular raids, the Israeli army has imposed additional checkpoints around Nablus over the past two weeks which have severely impeded daily life.
The closures follow the killing of an Israeli soldier in the area on October 11, three days after a military policewoman was shot dead in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.
So far this month 25 Palestinians have been killed in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.