Israel forces capture key Hamas military planner

Jerusalem, May 23 : Israeli forces today captured a top Hamas militant accused of masterminding several suicide bombings during a more than 5-year-old Palestinian uprising, an army spokeswoman said.

She said Ibrahim Hamed, who was on Israel's most-wanted list for eight years, was arrested in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Hamas, which took over the Palestinian government in March after winning January elections, is formally committed to Israel's destruction but has largely abided by a 15-month truce.

Israeli military action against Hamas has since become rarer, with security forces focusing efforts against another militant group, Islamic Jihad, which has spurned ceasefire efforts and carried out most of the recent suicide attacks.

Reuters