West Bank Fateh leader Marwan Barghouthi told reporters Thursday that Israeli occupation troops had entered and searched his house in northern Ramallah, while his wife and children were in the house. Barghouthi was not in the house at the time, according to Radio Israel.
Barghouthi said that his family were being held in a room in the house and that all telephone lines to the house had been cut.
Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes on the largest Palestinian security installation in the Gaza Strip and other targets overnight Wednesday in a wave of raids that lasted hours.
The attacks come after ten Israelis were killed and dozens others wounded when Palestinian gunmen ambushed an Israeli bus near the West Bank settlement of Emmanuel.
Earlier this year, Bargouthi escaped an assassination attempt when an Israeli Apache missile missed his car in Ramallah by a few meters.
The man is considered the de facto leader of the Palestinian Intifada, although he is more opted to mass participation in protests and rallies against 34 years of Israeli occupation – Albawaba.com
