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Wednesday, July 21, 2010     FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Hamas breaks up wedding of Fatah clan with major land holding in Gaza

GAZA CITY — The Hamas regime continues to target clans in Gaza linked to the opposition Fatah movement.

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Hamas security forces have attacked the Shawaf clan in the southern Gaza Strip. The July 15 attack began with an assault by masked gunmen, believed to be Hamas officers, at a wedding held for a clan member.

"The gunmen threw two sound bombs near the party and then started firing into the air to disperse the participants, after which they attacked the remaining participants with clubs and set fire to the party stage," the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.


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Later, Hamas police continued the assault on the Shawaf clan. At least 16 clan members were arrested.

Shawaf, based in the Abasan village near Khan Yunis, has been identified as a clan linked to the opposition Fatah movement. Many clan members were also said to be members of the Al Qaida-aligned militias in the Gaza Strip, believed supported by Fatah and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The clan has considerable land holdings in the southern Gaza Strip. The attack took place on a 2.5 acre tract that belonged to Shawaf and which hosted the wedding of Bakr Abdul Khader Al Shawaf, 25.

None of the masked gunmen were arrested. Shawaf members began arguing with arriving police, who ordered the wedding to disperse.

"The police attempted to disperse the family members using clubs and gun butts and the family members threw stones at them in return," the human rights center said. "The police arrested 16 persons, including the bridegroom's father and two of his brothers."

Hamas police said four alleged gunmen were arrested for the initial attack. Officials said the four were juveniles and "adhere to radical ideas."

Palestinian sources said Hamas has employed undercover agents to attack opposition clans and activists throughout the Gaza Strip. Often the attacks were meant to warn opposition elements to end their activities, the sources said.



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