Officials said the effort was meant to battle organized crime, clan
violence as well as drugs and weapons smuggling in the Gaza Strip. They said
more than 1,000 police and security officers loyal to PA Chairman Mahmoud
Abbas have been deployed around Gaza City, the focus of the campaign.
By May 13, officials said, an estimated 3,000 police officers would
complete deployment throughout the Gaza Strip, Middle East Newsline reported. The police would be directed
by a new Joint Operations Room.
"Lawlessness and chaos have become very dangerous in Gaza, and all the
participants are determined to end the chaos and restore security," PA
spokesman Ghazi Hamad said.
The police deployment failed to prevent fresh fighting in the war
between Fatah and Hamas. On Friday, at least six people were injured in
militia battles throughout the Gaza Strip, including a Hamas assault on a PA
police checkpoint. Hamas also attacked the Fatah-aligned National Security
Force headquarters in Gaza City.
The anti-crime campaign has been directed by Fatah-aligned security
commanders and meant to focus on Gaza City and northern Gaza. Interior
Minister Hani Al Qawasmeh, a Hamas member, said PA officers have exceeded
their authority.
"The deployment of security forces to the streets of Gaza City is an
effort on the part of the officers, and does not implement the security
plan," Al Qawasmeh said.
Two weeks ago, Al Qawasmeh resigned to protest the refusal of
Fatah-aligned security commanders to submit to his authority. Al Qawasmeh
withdrew his resignation after Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh
agreed to expand the authority of the interior minister. Abbas was also said
to have dismissed Gaza police commander Brig. Gen. Ali Hosni for
incompetence.
Hamas said its Executive Force was not participating in the operation.
The EF was said to comprise about 6,000 of the best-trained officers in the
PA security agencies.
"The deployment of the security forces has come as a surprise and
conducted without preferred cooperation with Palestinian factions, which
could have supervised this plan to make it successful," Hamas said in a
statement.
Palestinian critics said this was the latest of numerous security
initiatives in the Gaza Strip that fizzled out within days. They said the
key would be whether the police arrest members of Gaza's leading crime
families, including those responsible for abductions.
Over the last few years, an arms industry has developed in the Gaza
Strip. Assault rifles, pistols, grenades, ammunition and pipe bombs have
been sold openly in Gaza City.
"The determination is there, and I think what we will see in the next 48
hours is a full deployment to deal with the lawlessness in the Gaza Strip,"
former PA minister Nabil Shaath, now an aide to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas,
said.