In the past year alone, Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip arrested 3,120
Fatah members and supporters, according to figures released by Fatah over the
weekend.
The figures showed that among those detained were seven members
of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, who were also banned from traveling
abroad.
RELATED:PA rejects IDF offer to help probe Bil’in protester deathPA forces arrest bureau director of Fatah's DahlanMore than 700 of those arrested belonged to various branches of
the Palestinian Authority security forces in the Gaza Strip. Another 120 Fatah
members belonging to the faction’s armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, were
taken into custody and had their weapons confiscated by Hamas during the same
period.
Hamas security authorities also closed down the office of Fatah
legislator Ashraf Juma’ah, as well as 23 Fatah-affiliated institutions,
including sports clubs and social organizations.
During the same period,
the figures revealed, some 213 Fatah members were put on trial and received
various sentences, including life imprisonment and even death.
Fatah
claimed that each time Israel bombed the Gaza Strip, Hamas security personnel
would flee the jails, leaving Fatah prisoners behind handcuffed and blindfolded.