One of the arrested women and her husband were caught hiding 1 million euros for Hamas. Another female detainee is suspected of hiding fugitives and a third threw a hand grenade during clashes between Hamas militants and Palestinian security forces, he said.
In Gaza, Hamas-controlled security forces have systematically gone after political rivals, mainly those from Fatah.
This week, coinciding with the latest round of reconciliation talks in Cairo, more than 100 Abbas loyalists were picked up in Gaza, bringing the number of detainees to more than 300, said Fahmi Zaghrir, a Fatah spokesman. He said several dozens have been held for months.
The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said some of those summoned for questioning were told to wait for hours in the hot sun without water or food. The group said most were released after interrogation.
Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ehab Ghussein said several dozen were in detention on security-related charges, but denied any were political prisoners.
Researcher Salah Mousa from the West Bank-based Independent Commission for Human Rights said both sides have carried out political arrests.
"Hamas is trying to wipe out Fatah in Gaza and Fatah is trying to wipe out Hamas in the West Bank," he said.
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Associated Press writers Ben Hubbard and Dalia Nammari contributed to this report from Ramallah.
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