JERUSALEM— Israeli soldiers arrested more than 40 Palestinians in an overnight raid Tuesday, while the government imposed new punishments on Hamas prisoners as the search continues for three missing Israeli teens who Israel believes Hamas operatives abducted in the West Bank.
Tuesday's arrests raised the total number of Palestinians detained since the teens disappeared Thursday to more than 200, most of them Hamas activists, the biggest West Bank crackdown on the militant group in almost a decade. Israel has vowed to exact a heavy price from Hamas, saying the aim of the military operation goes beyond searching for the boys.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his Security Cabinet, a group of senior government ministers, to discuss the crisis. During the three-hour meeting, the ministers agreed to worsen the conditions of Hamas prisoners Israel is holding, said an official familiar with the deliberations.
He would not elaborate, saying only that the operation to return the missing teens "continues and will be intensified." He spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was held privately.