Hamas arrests 20 Fatah men
2007-08-11 12:54
Gaza - Forces from the Islamist militant
group Hamas detained some 20 members and supporters of President
Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group in Gaza on Friday in one of the
largest such sweeps since Hamas seized the territory.
Fatah and Hamas spokespeople said at least four senior Fatah
members were taken into custody in the northern town of Beit
Hanoun.
A Fatah source said Hamas forces arrested at least 15
supporters of the group in Khan Younis, located in south Gaza.
"Four Fatah leaders were arrested not because of who they
are, but for violating public security," said Saber Khalifa, a
spokesman for Hamas's Executive Force, without elaborating.
He added the men were being interrogated.
Protest against arrests
Beit Hanoun residents said Hamas forces fired into the air
to disperse relatives of the detainees, mainly women, who
protested against the arrests near an Executive Force post. They
said one man was wounded.
There was no immediate Hamas comment on the arrests in Khan
Younis.
Hamas forces on Thursday detained for several hours a
hospital doctor affiliated with Fatah, a day after he was fired
from his managerial post. His arrest had prompted protests by
his fellow medical workers.
Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June following weeks of
battles against Fatah militants.
Control of Gaza
The Islamist group won a
parliamentary vote last year and was part of a unity government
with Fatah before talks broke down prior to the violence.
Abbas has refused to recognise Hamas's former government,
which now control Gaza. Hamas has also accused Fatah forces of
arresting scores of its members in the West Bank, where the
president still holds power.
- Reuters