Hamas: Fatah gave information to Israel

Senior official of group says Fatah helped assassinate Hamas members.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
fatah in ramallah 298.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
fatah in ramallah 298.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
A senior Hamas official said Friday evening that Fatah-affiliated security services gathered and passed on information about members in the Palestinian Authority to the US and Israel. Khalil al-Haya told Israel Radio that Fatah operatives were also involved in the assassination of Hamas members. In late May of this year Palestinians claimed that an IAF missile had struck al-Haya's home and that six of the eight people killed in the resulting blast were his family members. The IDF rejected the Palestinian claims and said that the strike was on a terror cell and had killed five cell members alongside three bystanders. One of those killed was Samah Faranwa, a known Hamas operative involved in the recent Kassam rocket fire on Sderot as well as the Independence Day kidnapping attempt. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas authorized the government to review all private organizations, a step that might enable him to shut down dozens of Hamas-allied groups in the West Bank. Abbas's decree asked the interior minister to review the legal status of all non-governmental organizations, or NGOs. It also gave these groups a week to re-register. Also Friday, A top Fatah security commander resigned over his failure to prevent Hamas's takeover of Gaza, Palestinian officials said. Abbas accepted the resignation of Rashid Abu Shbak, who headed the Fatah-linked Internal Security organization in Gaza and the West Bank, officials in Abbas's office announced Friday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Long hated by members of Hamas for his role in crackdowns against the Islamic group, Abu Shbak became the target of criticism from his own men after Fatah's forces collapsed in Gaza last week, allowing Hamas to seize full control of the coastal territory. AP contributed to this report.