By Xinhua,
Gaza : Rival Hamas movement and President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement exchanged accusations on Saturday that each groups is cracking down on the others’ members in Gaza and the West Bank.
The renewal of rivalry between the two groups mounted as Israel ended one week ago, a 22-day large-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip, where thousands of people were killed and wounded.
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Wafa new agency reported that within the last 24 hours, Hamas militants in Gaza arrested several Fatah members, tortured them and even shot some others in their legs.
Hamas took control the Gaza Strip by force in June 2007 following weeks of bloody armed confrontation. Hamas routed Abbas security forces from Gaza and cracked down on Fatah movement members and leaders.
Abbas and his Fatah movement remained having control on the West Bank, where Hamas had accused Abbas security forces for detaining hundreds of Hamas leaders and supporters.
In November, Hamas thwarted a possible dialogue was scheduled to be held in Cairo to reach a reconciliation, end the status of rivalry and form a national unity government in both Gaza and the West Bank.
Hamas said it boycotted the dialogue because it can’t hold dialogue with Abbas while forces were cracking down on its leaders and members in the West Bank. It said there are 600 Hamas prisoners in Abbas’ jails.
Hamas leaders denied reports that Hamas militants had killed, tortured or shot the legs of Fatah leaders or supporters. However, Fatah said it has lists of names and testimonies of its members being abused by Hamas in Gaza.