Israeli forces say they have arrested around 80 Palestinians in their hunt for three teenagers, who the government believes were kidnapped in the West Bank.<br /><br />Senior Hamas members were among those detained in a series of raids, according to Israeli media. <br /><br />Fears are growing for the trio who have been missing since late on Thursday when they were reportedly seen trying to hitch-hike home after classes at a religious seminary north of Hebron.<br /><br />One of the trio, two 16-year-olds and a 19-year-old, is said to be a US citizen.<br /><br />Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blames “terrorists”, saying they came from the Palestinian Authority’s territory.<br /><br />“Our teenagers were kidnapped by a terror organisation with all certainty. There is no doubt about it,” he said. <br /><br />“They were kidnapped and they were kidnapped by a terror organisation.”<br /><br />Palestinian officials say they are helping Israelis in the search but the crisis further strains Israeli ties with the Palestinian Authority, already frayed by its power-sharing deal in April with Hamas Islamists who are hostile to Israel.<br /><br />Without itself claiming responsibility, Hamas praised those behind the suspected kidnapping.<br /><br />“Security coordination between (Palestinian Prime Minister Rami) Hamdallah’s and Abbas’s security services and the enemy to locate the heroes of the Hebron operation and arrest them is a moral stain,” said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
