Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations    

    GAZA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement on Sunday denied that Palestinian security forces in the West Bank have released political prisoners affiliated with Hamas.

    "Apart from releasing four prisoners, including leader Mohammed Ghazal who was briefly kidnapped and freed, no other detainees were released," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, adding that the number of Hamas political prisoners in the West Bank jails wasat about 200.

    During a recent interview with the Qatar-based al-Jazeera channel, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said all the prisoners in the West Bank, who were arrested in response to Gaza incidents, were freed.

    But Abu Zuhri reiterated that Hamas "denies what Salam Fayyad had mentioned regarding the prisoners."

    The West Bank security forces, loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, intensified raids to arrest Hamas supporters and leaders in the West Bank in response to a recent crackdown that Hamas launched against Fatah in Gaza.

    Hamas said the Gaza security campaign aims at unveiling a mysterious beachside blast on July 25 in which a girl and five Hamas members were killed. Hamas leaders accused Fatah of having arole in the explosion.

    Hundreds of Fatah activists were arrested and dozens of civil organizations, which Hamas claims were linked to Fatah, were shut down during the ongoing crackdown in Gaza.