Israeli Authorities Arrest Hamas Spokesman in West Bank Raid

A house is completely destroyed after Hamas terrorists attacked near the border of Gaza, in Nir Oz, Israel, on Oct. 19, 2023. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Israeli authorities have arrested over 60 Hamas terror operatives, including its spokesman, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, in “large-scale counterterrorism raids” launched across the West Bank on Oct. 19.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said that “occupation forces arrested Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef from his home in Beitunia as part of a wide-scale arrest campaign in the occupied West Bank,” CNN reported.

Israel Security Agency Shin Bet told the news outlet that Mr. Yousef was arrested “on suspicion of acting on behalf of Hamas.”

Mr. Yousef is a senior Hamas leader who has been arrested by Israeli forces on multiple occasions and has served a total of 24 years in Israeli prisons. He faced various charges, including incitement, unauthorized entry into Jerusalem, and membership in Hamas.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Oct. 19 that “following wide-scale counterterrorism activity overnight in Judea and Samaria, over 80 wanted suspects were apprehended, including 63 Hamas terror operatives.”

The operations were carried out by Israeli security forces. During the operations, the forces razed the residence of a Hamas terrorist in Qibya town and confiscated “a large number of weapons,” according to the IDF.

“During the forces’ activity to demolish the terrorist’s residence, a violent riot was instigated in the town of Burdus by approximately 20 suspects, who hurled Molotov cocktails and other objects at the forces.

“In addition, suspects blocked routes with burning tires and trash cans. The forces responded with live fire, and a hit was identified,” the IDF said in a statement.

More than 850 Palestinians have been arrested since Israel declared war following Hamas’s surprise attack on Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club. These detainees include former prisoners, journalists, and members of the legislative council, it stated.

The Israeli government reported around 1,400 deaths, with thousands more injured. The death toll also includes dozens of Americans. Hamas also took hostages from Israel back into Gaza.

In retaliation, Israel has bombarded Gaza and imposed a strict blockade of food, water, and power until all hostages are freed. Officials in Gaza said more than 3,500 people have died and over 12,000 wounded by Israeli airstrikes.

Israel Preparing for Ground Offensive

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Oct. 19 that Israel is preparing for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, the stronghold of Hamas.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets with troops near the border with Gaza on Oct. 19, 2023. Israeli Defense Ministry via Reuters

“There is no forgiveness for this thing. Only total annihilation of Hamas organization—terror infrastructures, everything that has to do with terrorists and whoever sent them. It will take a week, it will take a month, it will take two months until we eliminate them,” Mr. Gallant told troops near the Israel–Gaza border.

Israel stated this week that it wouldn’t keep aid from entering Gaza from Egypt. According to the United States, Egypt has agreed to reopen its border crossing to let some aid flow into the enclave. Truckloads of aid and volunteer workers have been piling up on the Egyptian side for days—as the United Nations warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

Egypt’s Sinai peninsula adjoins the roughly 140-square-mile Gaza Strip, and its Rafah Border Crossing is the sole route for aid to enter Gaza directly from outside Israel. It’s also the only exit that doesn’t lead to Israeli territory.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.