JERUSALEM: Israeli soldiers arrested 33 senior Hamas figures in the West Bank on Thursday in order to halt rocket attacks by Palestinian militants, an Israeli military spokesman said.
The operation in the northern West Bank, mainly in the town of Nablus, netted Palestinian education minister Nasseredine al-Shaer, three lawmakers and four mayors, among others.
The Hamas officials had been arrested because they "supported the firing of rockets," said the Israeli military spokesman.
Israel resumed air strikes against Gaza last week as militants fired scores of rockets towards the Jewish state, breaking a six-month truce.
The air strikes in Gaza have killed 12 civilians and 25 militants, but have failed to halt the rockets. More than 120 have slammed into Israel over the past week, killing a woman, wounding 16 others and sending hundreds fleeing the town of Sderot that has borne the brunt of the fire.
Israel has warned that no leaders in Hamas -- the senior movement in the Palestinan coalition government whose militants have been mostly responsible for the rocket attacks -- were immune from attack.
Last year Israel arrested several Hamas leaders including Shaer, who was detained in August and released the following month.
Israel also arrested more than 60 Hamas leaders in the West Bank as part of its efforts to secure the release of a soldier who was captured by Gaza militants in June 2005.
