Bassam a-Saadi, the leader of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, was captured last night in Jenin (West Bank) after a prolonged firefight with Palestinian militiamen, one of whom was killed.
The Israeli military radio reported.
From Gaza, the military wing of Islamic Jihad has threatened retaliatory attacks.
Israel has raised the state of alert in the area close to the Strip: several arteries have been closed to traffic and a section of the railway has been blocked.
Bassem a-Saadi (62) has already served several prison terms in Israel.
It has recently been cited, according to military sources, as the inspiration behind a series of armed attacks in Jenin and the northern West Bank.
During the operation that led to his arrest, a Milizan of Islamic Jihad, Cherar al-Kafarini, was
killed and two other comrades were injured.
From Gaza, the military wing of Islamic Jihad immediately proclaimed a state of maximum alert among its militiamen.
It also warned Israel that it will react to the capture of its
leader.
As a result, the Armed Forces have raised the alert status in all Israeli locations close to the Gaza Strip.
According to military radio, in particular, anti-tank rocket attacks are feared towards vehicles in transit or towards the section of the railway between Ashkelon and Sderot, which is the one that was blocked this morning.
Israel also closed Yad Mordechai's transit crossing with Gaza.
Thousands of commuters from Gaza have thus been stranded on their way to work in Israel.
