Fatah yesterday accused its rival Hamas of arresting tens of its members because of their outspoken support for Fatah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the Anadolu Agency reported.
In a statement issued by Fatah’s Supreme Leadership Committee in Gaza, the organisation said that 40 of its members were arrested by Hamas’s security forces in the Gaza Strip. Adding that action had been taken because they had recently announced their support for Fatah and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Fatah called on Hamas to release its members as soon as possible, claiming that its members have been tortured in prison.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian interior ministry in Gaza, run by Hamas, told MEMO that the young Fatah members were arrested following clashes between members loyal to Abbas and those loyal to dismissed Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan.
Early this week, Safa Press Agency reported two incidents where clashes erupted between Abbas and Dahlan supporters. The first was inside an internal polling centre in the city of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, while the second was in Fatah stronghold in Gaza, Al-Azhar University, where both groups attacked each other and several injuries were reported.