By Xinhua,
Ramallah : Islamic Hamas movement on Monday accuses Palestinian security forces of President Mahmoud Abbas for arresting its members and supporters in the West Bank.
In a statement Hamas said it is the largest arrests carried out by the security forces in West Bank since Hamas movement routed Abbas security forces and took control of Gaza Strip last summer.
“More than 54 people, most of them are residents of the city of Nablus, were arrested by Abbas security forces, many of them are notables, academics and students representing the movement,” Hamas statement said.
Hamas said that acting mayor of Nablus Hafez Shahin and his sonin addition to academic and political activist Abdul Sattar Qassem were among the those arrested by Abbas security forces in Nablus.
Early this week, Hamas movement cracked down on Abbas Fatah movement in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, where Palestinian Human Rights Centers affirmed that more than 160 Fatah people were arrested by Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas launched a crackdown on Fatah movement in Gaza following a bomb attack at a Hamas militants’ car on Friday at Gaza beach-side, which killed five of them and an 8-year-old girl, 20 others were injured in the attack.
Hamas movement had immediately accused some Fatah elements for being behind the attack. Its security forces stormed dozens of Fatah social charities and detained more than 160 people.
Fatah denied it was involved in the bombing attack on Hamas militants’ car, and said that the bombing attack is related to internal conflict of Hamas movement.