Hamas leader says group kidnapped Israeli teens in West Bank in June
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A senior Hamas leader says the group was behind the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank in June — the first time anyone from the Islamic militant group has said it was behind an attack that helped spark the current war in the Gaza Strip.
Salah Arouri told a conference in Turkey on Wednesday that Hamas carried out the kidnapping with the broader goal of sparking a new Palestinian uprising. "It was an operation by your brothers from the al-Qassam Brigades," he said, referring to Hamas' military wing.
Hamas has repeatedly praised the kidnappings, but Arouri, the group's exiled West Bank leader, is the first member to claim responsibility.
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The kidnapping sparked an Israeli crackdown and chain of events culminating in the current war.