Human Rights Watch declared that both sides in Gaza and The West Bank (Hamas and PA) have been violating Human rights, and torturing detainees even worse than the Israelis did against Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas also used the Calmness to keep confiscating the Presidency premises and seizing its property, in addition to Fatah property in the Gaza Strip. Hamas also confiscated equipment and furniture, and vandalized on 25/7/2008 the office of the PLC member in the Palestinian parliament Dr. Ziad Abu Amr (who had been elected in the parliamentary elections due to his clear and direct support of Hamas movement). Such step was considered contrary to the policy announced by Hamas on its desire to National Reconciliation (Dr. Abu Amr was very active in National Reconciliation Process).
According to ICHR-Human rights center, they received 15 complaints from Gaza citizens in August for being tortured while they were detained or interrogated in the security centers of the deposed government.
The center also received 56 complaints against the deposed government's Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip. In these complaints, citizens claimed that security agencies (namely the Internal Security and the Police) detained them without applying fair, legally prescribed procedures.
The new crackdowns and arrests are considered as the most dangerous and the biggest operations applied by the Deposed Government and Hamas movement against Fatah activists and their supporters in Gaza, since the military coup carried out by Hamas in June 2007. Such actions could lead to further operations against Fatah, and possible retaliatory operations against Hamas by the Fatah movement on the West bank, especially when Hamas would declare banning the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip.
On 23/9/2008, through a press statement, Hamas accused the PA on the West Bank of arresting 159 Hamas activists (names and positions are listed in the statement), in addition to storming 5 civil society organizations and others associations close to Hamas.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs (close to Fatah) groups in the West Bank issued a statement warning Hamas to stop the continuing arresting of Fatah persons, and threatened Hamas to take similar actions against members and institutions of Hamas on the West Bank. In fact this process had already been started, with the arrest of some Hamas activists.
It is expected that Al-Aqsa Martyrs and even the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank will increase their operations against Hamas activists in response to the policy of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Quds, Palestinian daily newspaper, issued on 2/9/2008 that a Reuters reporter was invited for a live military demonstration of a group of armed fighters in Gaza, belonging to a new Palestinian faction, which had been established in Gaza 8 months ago, called “Army of the Nation”. The faction was considered to be very close to Al-Qaeda, according to Al-Hayat newspaper from London.
On 4/9/2008 Hamas announced that its security forces captured Sheikh Abu Hafs Al-Maqdesy, the leader of “The Army of the Nation“, followed by the arrest of 3 persons of the same faction when they launched a press conference threatening Hamas to free their leader. Later on, a spokesperson of the Army threatened Hamas that his group will do all required actions to free their leader, with the fighters using all means possible (Voice of Israel 8/9/2008).
Al-Dameer Human Rights Center in Gaza in a press statement on 20/9/2008 asked the Ministry of Interior of the deposed government to investigate the murder of 3 persons in Gaza in one day (15/9/2008) :
• Faheem awad Goma'a Alsha'er (28 years), from Gaza- Nasr quarter, had been shot dead on 15/9/2008 in an assault on the building of the family by Hamas security forces, during an internal, armed family conflict (the family were considered to be Islamic jihad supporters).
• Ra'ed Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Harazeen (32 years), from Shaja’eyya quarter, was kidnapped on 15/9/2008. A relative of the victim said the Qassam brigades (Hamas) were behind it. On 17/9/2008 Ra'ed was found on the ground near his residence, suffering from several fractures and torture marks on his whole body, including red paint all over his body. His family took him to the hospital where he died after 2 hours.
• Mohammed Reyadh Batreekhi was killed in an armed family conflict on 15/9/2008. The suspected killer is a police man working for the deposed government.
Al-Dameer Human Rights Center warned the deposed government not to go back to the chaos and disorder, and asked for an immediate investigation of these cases and others.
Hamas also used the Calmness to keep confiscating the Presidency premises and seizing its property, in addition to Fatah property in the Gaza Strip. Hamas also confiscated equipment and furniture, and vandalized on 25/7/2008 the office of the PLC member in the Palestinian parliament Dr. Ziad Abu Amr (who had been elected in the parliamentary elections due to his clear and direct support of Hamas movement). Such step was considered contrary to the policy announced by Hamas on its desire to National Reconciliation (Dr. Abu Amr was very active in National Reconciliation Process).
According to ICHR-Human rights center, they received 15 complaints from Gaza citizens in August for being tortured while they were detained or interrogated in the security centers of the deposed government.
The center also received 56 complaints against the deposed government's Ministry of Interior in the Gaza Strip. In these complaints, citizens claimed that security agencies (namely the Internal Security and the Police) detained them without applying fair, legally prescribed procedures.
The new crackdowns and arrests are considered as the most dangerous and the biggest operations applied by the Deposed Government and Hamas movement against Fatah activists and their supporters in Gaza, since the military coup carried out by Hamas in June 2007. Such actions could lead to further operations against Fatah, and possible retaliatory operations against Hamas by the Fatah movement on the West bank, especially when Hamas would declare banning the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip.
On 23/9/2008, through a press statement, Hamas accused the PA on the West Bank of arresting 159 Hamas activists (names and positions are listed in the statement), in addition to storming 5 civil society organizations and others associations close to Hamas.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs (close to Fatah) groups in the West Bank issued a statement warning Hamas to stop the continuing arresting of Fatah persons, and threatened Hamas to take similar actions against members and institutions of Hamas on the West Bank. In fact this process had already been started, with the arrest of some Hamas activists.
It is expected that Al-Aqsa Martyrs and even the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank will increase their operations against Hamas activists in response to the policy of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Quds, Palestinian daily newspaper, issued on 2/9/2008 that a Reuters reporter was invited for a live military demonstration of a group of armed fighters in Gaza, belonging to a new Palestinian faction, which had been established in Gaza 8 months ago, called “Army of the Nation”. The faction was considered to be very close to Al-Qaeda, according to Al-Hayat newspaper from London.
On 4/9/2008 Hamas announced that its security forces captured Sheikh Abu Hafs Al-Maqdesy, the leader of “The Army of the Nation“, followed by the arrest of 3 persons of the same faction when they launched a press conference threatening Hamas to free their leader. Later on, a spokesperson of the Army threatened Hamas that his group will do all required actions to free their leader, with the fighters using all means possible (Voice of Israel 8/9/2008).
Al-Dameer Human Rights Center in Gaza in a press statement on 20/9/2008 asked the Ministry of Interior of the deposed government to investigate the murder of 3 persons in Gaza in one day (15/9/2008) :
• Faheem awad Goma'a Alsha'er (28 years), from Gaza- Nasr quarter, had been shot dead on 15/9/2008 in an assault on the building of the family by Hamas security forces, during an internal, armed family conflict (the family were considered to be Islamic jihad supporters).
• Ra'ed Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Harazeen (32 years), from Shaja’eyya quarter, was kidnapped on 15/9/2008. A relative of the victim said the Qassam brigades (Hamas) were behind it. On 17/9/2008 Ra'ed was found on the ground near his residence, suffering from several fractures and torture marks on his whole body, including red paint all over his body. His family took him to the hospital where he died after 2 hours.
• Mohammed Reyadh Batreekhi was killed in an armed family conflict on 15/9/2008. The suspected killer is a police man working for the deposed government.
Al-Dameer Human Rights Center warned the deposed government not to go back to the chaos and disorder, and asked for an immediate investigation of these cases and others.
