Officials said hundreds of suspects have been arrested and some of them
prosecuted on charges of murder and other violent crime. They said Hamas
intended to execute some of those convicted of the charges.
"Everyone is subject to liability and the law," Hamas Attorney General
Mohammed Abed said.
In April 2010, the Islamic regime executed two Palestinians from the
Gaza Strip on charges of spying for Israel. Hamas pledged to follow this
with additional executions.
Officials said major clans were involved in such areas as
drug-trafficking, extortion, smuggling and counterfeiting. They said the
clans were moving away from tunnel smuggling amid the construction of
Egypt's underground barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip.
Until now, Hamas overlooked many killings in the Gaza Strip connected to
organized crime. Officials cited the Muslim tradition of offering victims
so-called blood money in negotiations with their families. So far, the Hamas
public prosecutor has been dealing with 1,800 cases of killings resolved by
blood money.
"The next few days will be crucial in the direction of sentences and
sanctions to maintain society and protect the rights of the Palestinian people without bias," Abed said.
Officials said the Islamic regime has dismissed the legal code set by
the Palestinian Authority, overthrown by Hamas in 2007. They said the
imposition of the death penalty was meant to deter criminals and quell
rising unrest in the Gaza Strip.
