The Palestinian security forces have arrested Musab Ishtayeh (30 years old), a leader in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, who was on the run and wanted by the Israeli occupation forces, according to Al Jazeera. Ishtayeh was detained after his vehicle was surrounded in the Faisal Street area east of Nablus shortly after ten o'clock tonight. Another wanted individual named Ameen Tbeileh was arrested alongside him. Al Jazeera reported that sources close to Ishtayeh's family stated that the security forces informed them that Ishtayeh is detained and has been transferred to the Jenid Prison belonging to the Palestinian security in the city, where arrangements are being made for a family visit.
Immediately following Ishtayeh's arrest, resistance groups in the old town of Nablus, known as "Areen Al-Aswad," gathered at the Martyrs' Roundabout in the city to protest against his detention, during which tires were burned, and gunfire was exchanged in rejection of the arrest. Some armed resistance fighters conveyed threats indicating that the security headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Nablus would be targeted if Ishtayeh is not released, while armed militants in Jenin staged a military display as a protest against the detention.
Hamas condemned the arrest of Musab Ishtayeh and Ameen Tbeileh, labeling it as "a new disgrace on the forehead of the authority," calling for their immediate release along with all resistance fighters and political detainees. The Palestinian Authority was also urged in a statement to cease its "unpatriotic policies towards honest and resistant individuals."
Musab Ishtayeh hails from the village of Salem, east of Nablus, and holds a high school diploma. He has been pursued by the Israeli occupation since early April, accused of targeting occupation forces and settlers by opening fire, resulting in injuries to one of them. His pursuit escalated following the arrest of his brothers Ans and Khaled, with repeated raids on their home leading to violent searches and assaults on family members, along with field interrogations to locate him.
Later, Musab Ishtayeh reached the old town of Nablus and was pursued along with his companions, particularly the martyr Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, who was one of his closest associates. Ishtayeh made an appearance on July 24, during which Israeli forces killed his friends Abdul Rahman Sobeh and Muhammad Al-Azizi while they were providing cover for his withdrawal and his fellow pursued individuals from the Jasmine neighborhood in the old town of Nablus.
The occupation accuses Ishtayeh—according to previous media reports that classified him as the leading figure of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Nablus, northern West Bank—of being "the most dangerous wanted person" for the occupation army, asserting that he is working on forming resistance cells in the old town of Nablus to resist the occupation. In recent weeks, Israel has escalated its threats and incitement against the Palestinian Authority, accusing it of failing to fulfill its role in pursuing wanted individuals, particularly in the cities of Nablus and Jenin.
