In another sign of the ties between the Turkish organization IHH and Hamas, a
representative of the group that organized the aid flotilla blocked by the
Israel Navy on May 31 made a congratulatory video address at a recent ceremony
marking the establishment of a new terrorist group in the Gaza Strip.
The
ceremony was held in mid-July in Gaza and marked the establishment of a military
wing by the Palestinian movement Al-Ahrar – The Free – which broke off from
Fatah following Hamas’s takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007. The new
military wing’s name is Al-Ansar Battalions.
RELATED:Italian lawmakers: Put IHH on EU terrorist listGerman IHH rejects links to HamasIHH, according to Israel, is
a radical Islamic organization which supports Hamas activity.
It was
behind the flotilla to the Gaza Strip in late May that was stopped by
the navy.
During the boarding of the
Mavi Marmara passenger ship, navy commandos
were
attacked by a group of mercenaries armed with knives, metal bars and
bats, and
killed nine Turkish nationals in the ensuing clashes.
Al-Ahrar is closely
aligned with Hamas and espouses armed struggle as the way to end the
so-called
Israeli occupation of the West Bank. The ceremony last month – a
military
ceremony which was attended by several dozen armed operatives carrying
Kalashnikov rifles – was also attended by top Hamas administration
officials in
the Gaza Strip, including Interior Minister Fathi Hamad and Legislative
Council
Deputy Speaker Ahmed Bahar.
A recent report released by the Intelligence
and Terrorism Information Center (MALAM) claimed that during the
ceremony
Turkish flags were raised while Israeli and US flags were burned. The
MALAM said
it was likely that Hamas would use the Al- Ahrar network as
subcontractors for
terrorist activity against Israel.