Hamas security men withdraw from arresting AFP reporter

By Xinhua

Gaza : A group of security men from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Saturday night tried in vain to arrest a journalist working for AFP.


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Xinhua correspondent learnt at the scene that the Hamas force withdrew from arresting AFP reporter Sakher Abu El Oun at the urging of the movement’s political leaders.

Officials from the office of deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haneya persuaded the security men to leave and called the incident a “misunderstanding”.

A group of reporters also rushed to the scene and formed a human chain around the home of Abu El Oun, who heads the Gaza journalists’ union, to block the Hamas force from entering his home, according to the Xinhua correspondent.

In mid-June, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip after days of bloody fighting with Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Following Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, Abbas has declared Hamas’ Executive Force as “illegal,” which was rejected by Hamas. The two movements have also been engaged in a war of words to vie for image and credibility among the Palestinians.

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