Israel Arrests Former Hamas Member Husam Dofsh Over Killings of Three Israeli Teenagers

The Israel Defence Force has confirmed that it arrested a former member of Hamas, suspected of aiding the killers of three Israeli teenagers kidnapped in the West Bank, on Saturday .

Husam Dofsh told the Times of Israel that he was stopped by Israeli soldiers in a Hebron coffee shop, but denied being involved in the killing.

The Israeli military have raided Dofsh's family house in Hebron several times, telling the family that he was wanted for questioning.

'I did not turn myself in because I did not do anything wrong,' Dofsh said after his arrest. 'I saw online, and people also told me, that I was tied to the mess, but I did not kidnap and didn't do anything. I just want to continue my life.'

Israeli authorities have named two other Hamas members as prime suspects in the killing of the three teenagers: Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme, who have been missing from their homes in Hebron since the kidnapping and killings occurred.

The Israeli military discovered the corpses of 16-year-olds Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach near the village of Halhul, north of Hebron, near where they disappeared on 12 June.

The three bodies were found by soldiers in a shallow grave dug by their abductors, after the largest Israeli ground operation at the West Bank in nearly ten years. It's believed the young men were shot soon after after their kidnapping.

Israel holds Hamas responsible, but the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group has denied any responsibility.