Israeli forces have seized a senior Palestinian MP in the latest move of a seven-week-old campaign to arrest members of the ruling Hamas movement.

Troops and agents of the Shin Bet intelligence agency arrested Mahmoud al-Ramahi, a Hamas member and secretary-general of the Palestinian parliament, at his Ramallah home, a military statement said, but gave no further details. His sister Yaqeen said that the raid took place during the day.

The raid drew angry accusations from Palestinian leaders that Israel is undermining their efforts to form a unity government.

Mr Al-Ramahi had evaded capture since Israel started to arrest senior Hamas figures after Corporal Gilad Shalit, an Israeli teenage soldier, was kidnapped in a cross-border raid on June 25 by Hamas-linked militants.

The Hamas MP, a physician by training, is the fourth most senior member of the parliament, dealing with administrative and procedural affairs. His capture puts almost all of Hamas’ West Bank leadership in Israeli custody.

On Saturday, soldiers seized Nasser Shaer, the Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister, at a house in Ramallah where he had been hiding. Mr Shaer was the most senior Hamas official to be detained so far.

Israel is now holding five Cabinet ministers and more than two dozen MPs. Four other Cabinet ministers were rounded up but have since been released.

In the last few days Hamas has indicated that it is willing to reopen talks with the Fatah movement of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, with a view to forming a coalition government of national unity. Politicians hope for a lifting of the international financial sanctions imposed after Hamas's election victory that are crippling government in the Palestinian territories.

Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, the Palestinian Prime Minister, said that the detention of government members and MPs was increasing the obstacles to reaching a national consensus.

"It is difficult to move while the ministers and parliamentarians are in jail," he said.

Mr Haniyeh has said previously that he wants all political leaders released by Israel before forming a broad coalition government.

Members of Fatah also accused Israel of undermining efforts to form a unity government. "This is an attempt to strike at the heart of the idea, and to keep the Palestinian situation politically isolated," said Maher Mikdad, a Fatah spokesman in Gaza.

Mr Abbas believes that forming a coalition will force Hamas, which is committed to Israel’s destruction, to moderate its stance and help to open the way to renewed peace talks. Hamas has so far refused international calls to renounce violence and recognise Israel, despite the crippling economic boycott.

Israel claims that its seizure of elected Hamas politicians is a legitimate act against a terrorist group.

"The measures Israel is taking in the territories, including this arrest, have everything to do with security considerations and for the active prevention of terror, " said David Baker, an official in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office.

Despite Israel’s targeting of Hamas political leaders, and a large offensive in the Gaza Strip, the captured Israeli soldier has still has not been released. The militants holding him have demanded a wide-scale release of Palestinian prisoners, a demand that Israel has rejected.

The Turkish Foreign Minister yesterday called for Corporal Shalit and the imprisoned Hamas officials to be freed as a prelude to restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

"It is time to resume negotiations," said Abdullah Gul, after a meeting with Mr Abbas. "The key is the release of the kidnapped soldier, and the release of the elected MPs so we can go back to the negotiating table."

In a separate development, the Israeli army said yesterday that in an effort to improve the lot of ordinary Palestinians in the West Bank it was easing restrictions on entry into Israel. The restrictions have been in place for several months, while Israel fought Palestinian militants in Gaza and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

The statement said that 26,500 Palestinian workers and traders would now be allowed to enter Israel, and another 1,500 West Bank residents would be allowed to work in the Atarot industrial park on the edge of traditionally Arab east Jerusalem.

Before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict re-erupted six years ago, around 80,000 Palestinians worked in Israel.

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