Hamas warns Israel over tough measures in West Bank.

Islamist Hamas movement Tuesday warned Israel over the tough measures that the Israeli security forces are taking against its leaders and lawmakers in the West Bank.

“The Zionist enemy is held fully responsible for the consequences of its crimes against our striking prisoners, against our people in the West Bank and Gaza, and against the PLC (Palestinian Legislative Council) lawmakers,” Xinhua quoted Hamas as saying in its statement.

Israel accused Hamas of being behind kidnapping three Israeli teenagers who are believed to have been taken captive near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

Israeli security forces arrested 41 Hamas operatives, including Aziz Dweik, speaker of the Hamas-dominated parliament, in raids carried out in the West Bank Tuesday to trace three Israeli teenagers abducted by militants last week.

Around 200 people have been arrested during the campaign against the Hamas movement in the West Bank since the search was launched and a large number of weapons were also seized, the Israeli Army said.

Overnight, Israeli war jets carried out three successive air strikes on militants’ training facilities in southern Gaza Strip and eastern Gaza city, but no casualties were reported.