The Palestinian sources said that the detainees include Hosam Khader, a political figure and former Fatah legislator, Abdulrahman Zeidan, a Hamas legislator and former housing minister, Ghassan Zoukan and Yasser Bodrisawi, both university lecturers and key political activists.

The sources said that the four officials were arrested from their houses in the cities of Nablus and Tulkarm.

Zeidan is the second Hamas lawmaker arrested this week. On Tuesday, Israeli forces manning a military checkpoint near Bethlehem arrested Hamas lawmaker Nizar Ramadan. By now, Israel holds 16 legislators in its prisons, including 13 from Hamas, two from Fatah and one from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The Palestinian sources said that the other four Palestinians were arrested in the cities of Bethlehem and Hebron.

The Israeli security sources said that the eight detainees were taken to unknown locations for questioning by the Israeli intelligence service Shin Bet.

Israeli defense establishment says the almost daily arrest campaigns in Palestinian territories are part of its war against Palestinian armed groups.