(VOVworld) – Israeli troops arrested Aziz Dweik, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, in the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday. Dweik, a senior Hamas leader, was arrested when his house in Hebron was stormed.

Aziz Dweik gestures as he attends a hearing at an Israeli military court near the West Bank city of Ramallah. (Photo: AFP)

The arrest came amid Israel’s search for three Israeli students from a religious school who have been missing since last Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of the kidnapping. Hamas denied any connection to the incident.

So far Israel has arrested 80 Palestinians, many of whom are Hamas members.