Hamas sentences 'collaborator' to death by firing squad

Omar Kawari convicted of spying for Israel as Hamas cracks down on suspected collaborators in Gaza.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS, JPOST.COM STAFF
Hamas security officer Abu Abdallah Lafi (photo credit: Associated Press)
Hamas security officer Abu Abdallah Lafi
(photo credit: Associated Press)
The Palestinian militant Hamas group has convicted a Gaza man on charges of spying for Israel and sentenced him to death on Thursday.
Hamas announced the move, which is the latest in a secretive campaign to rid Gaza of alleged Israeli collaborators.
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The campaign has underscored the terror group's deep fears about being penetrated by agents working for Israel.
Hamas says its military court sentenced Omar Kawari to death by a firing squad. It provided no other details.
A number of Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel to kill senior Hamas members and bomb training sites and government offices were arrested in Gaza, a Hamas spokesman said Thursday, as reported by Reuters.
Ehab al-Ghsain said that many of the suspects were thought to have collaborated with Israel during Operation Cast Lead.
Hamas security forces obtained "serious confessions and uncovered many collaborators who stood behind assassinations of some leaders of resistance and implemented policies of the enemy's intelligence service against our people," Ghsain said.
In May, Hamas executed three Gazans, convicted as collaborators. Eleven others have also been sentenced to death.
Gazans support crackdowns on accused collaborators but Hamas' latest campaign has also sparked panic because many prominent Gaza residents are believed to have been arrested.