Hamas men are displaying remarkable brutality as they cement their conquest of Gaza:
At least 25 Palestinians were killed and 80 were wounded as Hamas fighters overran two of Fatah’s most important security installations in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Witnesses said the victors dragged vanquished gunmen from the building and shot them to death gangland-style in the street in front of their families…
A witness, who identified himself only as Amjad, said men were killed before their wives and children.
“They are executing them one by one,” Amjad said in a telephone interview, declining to give his full name for fear of reprisals. “They are carrying one of them on their shoulders, putting him on a sand dune, turning him around and shooting.” — Jerusalem Post
Hamas claims that they have found documents indicating that Fatah was working with the CIA. Of course the US has been up front about providing aid for Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah organization. The surprise is not that the CIA was involved, but that they continued to supply weapons to Fatah when the end of the story should have been obvious for months (thanks to Conflict Blotter for the photo, captured from Hamas TV).
Fatah officials here confirmed that Hamas had seized large amounts of weapons and military equipment belonging to Abbas’s security forces in the Gaza Strip. Some of the weapons were supplied to the PA in recent weeks by Egypt and Jordan as part of a US security plan to boost Fatah-controlled forces.
Hamas said it had seized thousands of M-16 and Kalashnikov rifles and pistols, communication equipment, armored vehicles, trucks, binoculars, military outfits, tents, sleeping bags, hand grenades, mortars and documents.
— Jerusalem Post
Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas ordered his security forces to respond only defensively and not to attack Hamas directly, and he is reported to have spoken to Hamas leader and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who agreed to jointly call for a cease-fire. This strategy appears to have been a serious mistake — unless Abbas has made some kind of deal to save his own skin.
Lots of Fatah officials have not been as successful. Here’s a description of one Fatah man’s last phone call:
Hamas has stormed the home of Jamal Abu Jideyan, general secretary of Fatah in Northern Gaza and an Al Aqsa Brigades commander, and assassinated him. About 20 minutes ago we were listening to Sawt Al Hurriya, a Palestinian radio station, as Jideyan’s brother called into the station frantic. Hamas militants had surrounded the family’s home in the Jabbaliya refugee camp and had fired 16 RPG rounds at the home, with 35 family members inside, he said. “They’re firing at us, firing RPGs, firing mortars. We’re not Jews,†he screamed into the telephone live on air, gun fire bursting in the background.
Abu Jideyan himself was dragged outside and shot, his head almost removed from his body by bullets.
As it stands today, there are two Palestinian entities for Israel to deal with, one in Gaza that is pure Hamas, and one in the West Bank which is only Hamas-dominated.
For now.
Thank you, Mr. Dry Bones, and also Beth for finding this for me!