Palestinian police arrest 16 Hamas members

Palestinian police have arrested 16 Hamas members, two days after the Islamic militant group carried out a suicide attack on a pool hall near Tel Aviv that killed 15 Israelis.

The Israeli Cabinet has approved retaliation for the bombing, but did not say what steps Israel will take.

It is widely expected that the Israeli army would launch a military strike against the Gaza Strip, the power base of Hamas.

Gaza has been spared during Israel's last military offensive, which began on March 29 and targeted militias in the West Bank.

Yasser Arafat has ordered his security forces to take action against those responsible for the pool hall attack.

Palestinian police arrested 16 members of the group, Hamas officials said. They declined to give the names of those taken into custody.