<center>Abbas's militias kidnap 5 Hamas supporters</center>

TULKAREM -- Militias loyal to former PA chief Mahmoud Abbas kidnapped five Hamas supporters in Anabta village, Tulkarem district, over the past couple of days, locals reported.

They said that the militias had already rounded up nine of this town's inhabitants, mostly former prisoners.

The Israeli occupation forces, in apparent coordination with Abbas's militias, kidnapped a Palestinian from the same village only hours after Abbas's militias broke into his home.

For its part, Islamic Jihad Movement called on the PA in Ramallah to immediately release its leader Abdul Fattah Khuzaimiya since no charges were leveled against him ever since his arrest two months ago.

It added in a statement on Sunday that Khuzaimiya was carried to hospital after his health condition worsened due the hunger strike he launched in protest against his detention.

The Movement called for closing the file of political detention once and for all in order to enhance national cohesion.

Abbas's militias are holding around 1,000 Palestinian youths suspected of resisting Israeli occupation in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Dr. Aziz Dweik, the speaker of the Palestinian legislative council (PLC), denied the severance of all channels of communication between him and Mahmoud Abbas.

In a press statement, Dr. Dweik revealed that there are big efforts made to reach Palestinian reconciliation on a sound footing, but some parties are working on obstructing them. [adm/palestine-info]