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Hamas Accused of Targeting Fatah Activists in Gaza

Palestinian rights groups have called on Hamas to cease harassing Fatah members, after several were detained in Gaza in recent weeks.

Women wave Palestinian (front) and Fatah flags during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City January 4, 2013. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians joined a rare rally staged by President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah group in Gaza on Friday, as tensions ease with rival Hamas Islamists ruling the enclave since 2007. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY) - RTR3C3HR
Women wave Palestinian and Fatah flags during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, in Gaza City, Jan. 4, 2013. — REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

In another sign that Palestinian reconciliation is nowhere on the horizon, Hamas' internal security services (ISS) have summoned and detained dozens of Fatah activists across the Gaza Strip over the past few weeks, according to the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR).

"The campaign started with summons that were sent to the majority of the arrested persons to refer to the ISS head office each in his area and/or arrest them from their houses. ... [It] targeted a number of Fatah leaders, including current and former province secretaries, area secretaries and other members. The arrested persons were questioned about giving money to families of Fatah members who were wounded or killed during the events of June 2007," the PCHR stated in a media release issued on Aug. 13.

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