Diplomats: Hamas operatives behaving suspiciously
Friday, February 22, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
GAZA CITY — Hamas operatives appear to be planning another spate of abductions from the tiny Western community in the Gaza Strip.
Western diplomats said Hamas-aligned operatives have been prowling hotels in Gaza City for foreigners, particularly diplomats and journalists. They said Hamas could be preparing to generate a crisis meant to garner support from the West.
On Feb. 18, the Foreign Press Association of Israel issued an alert of an imminent abduction of foreign journalists in the Gaza Strip. FPA said the Al Qaida-aligned Army of Islam, headed by the Dughmoush clan, has been entering hotels in Gaza City and checking for foreigners, particularly journalists.
"It is hard to deliver an accurate assessment of how serious this threat is but we urge all members to be extra vigilant and to consider their profile and exposure while working in Gaza," the FPA alert said. On Feb. 15, Hamas-aligned gunmen blew up the Young Men's Christian Association library in Gaza City. The gunmen abducted guards at the facility, detonated a huge bomb and destroyed the library.
The YMCA is located about 200 meters from the Hamas police headquarters. Nobody was arrested in wake of the bombing. Police dismantled a second bomb in the YMCA.
"I hope the people behind it won't get away with it, but it seems it will be like the previous cases [when no one was caught]," said Khalil Shahin, a member of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, said.
Diplomats said the destruction of the YMCA could signal a security breakdown that would first threaten Westerners. Non-governmental organizations have relayed concern over security to visiting UN undersecretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes.
Over the last few months, Islamic gunmen have attacked the American School, a Gaza church as well as social and cultural clubs and sports centers. Palestinian sources said the assailants represent rival factions within the Hamas regime.
"These people [attackers] have been given immunity for years," a diplomat said. "The only conclusion that we could draw from this is that they are operating under the auspices of a prominent figure."