Special to WorldTribune.com

JERUSALEM — Israel has reported progress in the search for the Palestinian killers of three Jewish teenagers.

Authorities said a Palestinian was arrested on charges of leading a Hamas-aligned cell that abducted and killed three Jewish students in June 2014. The detainee was identified as Hossam Qawasmeh, arrested in Jerusalem.

“Hossam Qawasmeh was arrested by Israeli security forces last month in Shuafat on suspicion of leading a commando group that kidnapped and murdered the three adolescents,” police said.

The capture of Qawasmeh came in wake of a massive manhunt in the weeks following the abduction of the teenagers south of Bethlehem on June 12.

Qawasmeh has been identified as a commander of Hamas’ military wing in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

Israeli sources said Qawasmeh, arrested on July 11, was the architect of the abduction plot that went awry. They said Qawasmeh confessed to receiving money from Hamas to conduct the operation.

Qawasmeh, captured as he sought to escape to Jordan, was said to have organized a cell that included his relatives Marwan and Amir Abu Eisha, both of whom remain at large. Authorities have sought to demolish the homes of the three.

  Hebron, Hossam Qawasmeh, Massive manhunt leads to arrest of Hamas commander in abduction of Jewish teens, Shuafat