Israelis seize dozens of Hamas activists

ISRAELI forces have arrested dozens of Hamas activists in the West Bank as the army intensified a crackdown in response to a pair of deadly shootings believed to have been carried out by Hamas militants, officials said.

Some 70 Hamas members, including legislators, were arrested this week, including about 40 overnight, said a Hamas official in the West Bank. The Israeli military confirmed the overnight arrests.

The arrests came as Israel’s military accelerated its search for the Palestinian gunman who opened fire the day before on a West Bank bus stop, killing two soldiers.

The shooting occurred a short distance from the scene of another drive-by shooting earlier this week that wounded seven Israelis and caused the premature delivery of a baby boy who later died.

As Israel prepared to bury the two soldiers killed in Thursday’s shooting, another soldier was severely wounded near a West Bank settlement after a Palestinian struck him on the head with a rock, knocking him unconscious, the military said.

The army said it appeared the soldier was also stabbed.