Palestinian Authority says Hamas shot Fatah men in legs during Gaza fighting

Fatah spokesman says activists targeted after they violated the house arrest imposed on them; Hamas says leadership did not order shootings.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Hamas operatives in Gaza. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas operatives in Gaza.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Palestinian Authority confirmed Tuesday that Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip have been shot in the legs by Hamas during Operation Protective Edge.
Gen. Adnan Damiri, spokesman for the Fatah-dominated PA security forces in the West Bank, said that the activists were targeted after they violated the house arrest imposed on them by Hamas.
Hamas officials have denied the charges, saying the shootings were probably carried out by individuals who acted on their own and not on instructions from the Hamas leadership.
Damiri said during a seminar in Ramallah that some of the wounded Fatah men were being treated in West Bank hospitals.
Fatah officials said last week that more than 250 of their men in the Gaza Strip have been ordered by Hamas not to leave their homes during the war.
According to the officials, several men who defied the house arrest were either shot in the legs or had their arms and legs broken by Hamas militiamen.
Some of the wounded men have also been transferred to Jordanian hospitals.
Damiri also referred to reports that Hamas had planned to stage a coup against the PA leadership in the West Bank.
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Monday that they have arrested more than 90 Hamas activists in the West Bank who planned to launch terrorist attacks against Israel and overthrow the PA.
Damiri claimed that Israel was seeking to foil Palestinian unity by making such accusations against Hamas.
Damiri said that the amount of weapons that were found in the possession of the Hamas activists was insufficient to carry out a coup.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday published a statement in which he said that he has instructed the Palestinian security forces to check Israel’s claims regarding the alleged Hamas plot. He said that if true, these claims would pose a grave danger to the unity and future of the Palestinians and have serious repercussions.