Hamas Interior Ministry says incident criminally motivated, not political.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFHamas 224.88(photo credit: AP [file])
Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip said that a police officer had been gunned down while pursuing a group of criminals.
A statement by the Hamas government said that the officer was killed and a second was wounded Monday during a "chase for a group of outlaws wanted for justice" in Gaza City.
The group said that it would not tolerate "tampering with the security and safety" of Gaza residents.
Hamas seized control of Gaza last year by routing forces of the rival Fatah party. Since then, Hamas has moved quickly to crack down on crime and political opponents.
Although there has been sporadic violence between the rival political movements, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry says Monday's incident was not politically motivated.
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![Hamas 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/18087 "Hamas 224.88")