Israel arrests Hamas MP in overnight raids

Muhammed Abu Tir, 65, was arrested when he was found inside his home near Ramallah, the group said. This comes after he was released in June from a 17-month prison sentence he served.

Abu Tir is from East Jerusalem which he represents as a Hamas MP on the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

His arrest brings the number of people from the 132-member Palestinian Legislative Council currently jailed by Israel 13, according to the Palestinian rights group Addameer.

The Hamas-dominated parliament has not met since the group took over the Gaza coastal enclave in June 2007.

Late July Israeli security forces detained 25 members of the Hamas movement during overnight arrest raids in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, as violence spiralled in Jerusalem.

The arrests included "senior members" of the group as part of preventive measures in the wake of "tensions around the Temple Mount," a statement from Israel's Shin Bet security agency said.

Israel did not identify who the senior officials were, although Israeli media reported that Hamas MP Omar Abd al-Razaq was one of those detained.