Hamas orders assassination of Palestinian officers who raided safe house
RAMALLAH — Hamas has publicly called for the assassination of Palestinian
Authority officers who led
the assault on safe houses operated by Hamas in the West Bank.
Hamas has already published the names and
photographs of at least six PA
officers said to have commanded assaults on the safe houses in Kalkilya in
late May and early June, and has instructed its agents and supporters to kill them.
"They are collaborators of Israel," Hamas said.
Several of the officers were identified as members of the PA Preventive
Security Apparatus. The most senior of the PSA officers was identified as
Hussam Sheik Hamed, said to have been the commander of two assaults on Hamas
safe houses in Kalkilya in which four Islamic agents were killed.
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This marked the first time that Hamas publicly called for the killing of
PA security officers. Over the last year, more than 700 Hamas agents have
been arrested and detained in the West Bank, Middle East Newsline reported.
Other PA officers on Hamas's death list were identified as Abdul Rai,
Aboud Al Khawaja, Abdul Al Menem Afanah, Ayman Al Haj and Ghassan Jawabreh.
No information was provided on the roles of most of these men.
"As of today, all of the security forces who participated in the
Kalkilya operation are now wanted by the [Hamas military wing] Kassam
Brigades," Hamas military spokesman Abu Obeida said.
Hamas said PA security forces continued to sweep through West Bank towns
in a crackdown on the Islamic military wing. On June 4, three Hamas military
operatives were sentenced to three years on charges of stockpiling weapons
in the areas of Nablus and Ramallah.
