Israeli forces have abducted two senior Hamas officials in an attack on the offices of the Red Cross in the occupied East Jerusalem (Al-Quds).

According to a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Israeli forces entered the compound on Monday and arrested former Hamas minister for al-Quds affairs Khaled Abu Arafeh and MP Mohammed Totah.
 
A Hamas source in the West Bank has also confirmed the arrest of the two men inside the ICRC compound.
 
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, however, has claimed that police had not set foot inside the Red Cross compound and that the two were arrested outside the Red Cross building in Sheikh Jarrah.
 
In a bid to avoid being arrested and deported from their hometown, the two Hamas officials had been taking refugee inside the Red Cross compound since July 1, 2010 after Israel revoked their al-Quds ID cards.
 
Meanwhile, Palestinians have rallied outside the Red Cross office in the West Bank, protesting against the recent arrests of the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Aziz Dweik Palestinian MP Khaled Tafesh Dweib.
 
They also demanded the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

"First of all, this protest is against these arrests, especially the final arrest of the Speaker of Legislative Council, Dr. Aziz Dweik, and the Member of Council Khaled Tafesh. Today, there are 25 council members under arrest in (Israeli) occupation prisons," said a Palestinian protester.
 
(Press TV)