Hamas widens Gaza crackdown with new press restrictions

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Gaza's Hamas rulers imposed sweeping restrictions on journalists, briefly detained a crew member from a German TV channel and announced plans to curb public gatherings, part of an intensifying clampdown following a huge rally by the rival Fatah movement this week. Gaza's Interior Ministry announced Wednesday that journalists who do not hold official Hamas-issued press cards would not be allowed to work in Gaza. News organizations have resisted getting the Hamas cards because it entails submitting to restrictions, including a vague ban on stories that do not uphold "national responsibilities" or "cause harm to national unity."