Hamas arrest head of al-Qaeda-linked group in Gaza

Hamas forces arrested a top commander of an al-Qaeda-linked group in Gaza this week, sources close to the enclave's Islamist rulers said on Friday.

Hesham al-Sa'eedni was arrested on Monday. He is believed to be an Egyptian citizen and a senior member of the Tawheed And Jihad group linked to al-Qaeda, the sources said.

Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Thursday that al-Sa'eedni's group was involved in a series of attacks in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, among them a 2006 attack on a hotel that killed 19 people.

Hamas, which has in the past denied any al-Qaeda presence in Gaza, has been trying to keep other Islamist groups in check following a devastating Israeli military offensive in 2009.

Hamas officials were not immediately available for comment.