Officials said Israeli intelligence agencies have stepped up their
recruitment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. They said the Israel Security
Agency was recruiting Gazans for espionage operations through contact over
the Internet and cellular phones.
"They want to check up on the situation in Gaza, and ask questions that
trick citizens into cooperating with purported investigations," Hamas
Interior Ministry official Mohammed Abu Abdullah said.
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In April 2010, Hamas executed two Palestinians convicted of spying for
Israel during the war in the Gaza Strip in 2009. Officials said Israeli
intelligence agents were contacting Palestinians through such tools as
Facebook and Twitter.
"The occupation [Israel] has begun to turn to Internet and phone
lines — a common trick — in the recruitment of Palestinian citizens who
willingly or not become collaborators," an official said.
Hamas warned Palestinians not to discuss any sensitive information over
the telephone. In a statement on April 27, Abdullah said Israeli agents were
posing as Palestinian and Western researchers and asking questions regarding
the Gaza economy and other sectors.
Officials said Israeli intelligence appeared interested in locating
key facilities around the Gaza Strip. They warned Palestinians not to
respond and immediately hang up on unknown callers.
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