Hamas welcomes ‘increased measures’ against collaborators

Hamas welcomed the announcement by its Interior Ministry in Gaza that it will undertake “increased measures” against Palestinian collaborators with Israel in the coming hours and days as a part of its investigation into the assassination of Mazen Fuqaha.

“Hamas appreciates and supports the national and responsible efforts the Interior Ministry is carrying out... in pursuit of traitors and collaborators, especially after the Zionist enemy and its collaborators assassinated Mazen Fuqaha,” Hamas said in an official statement on Sunday.

Fuqaha, who was a senior Hamas terrorist, was mysteriously assassinated on March 24 near his home in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City.

Within an hour of Fuqaha’s assassination, the ministry opened an investigation into the incident and pledged to pursue his assassins.

Hamas has accused Israel and Palestinian collaborators of assassinating Fuqaha and threatened to exact revenge, while Israeli officials have not commented on the incident except for Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, who suggested that Israel did not take part in it.

In its announcement, the Interior Ministry in Gaza did not clarify what “increased measures” it would be taking against Palestinian collaborators.

Since Fuqaha’s assassination, the ministry has limited access to the Erez crossing, the only pedestrian passageway between Gaza and Israel, and barred fishermen from setting sail.

Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations have slammed the ministry for limiting movement.

The Ramallah-based Independent Commission for Human Rights said that the decision to restrict movement “violates the basic rights of citizens.”

Hamas and its ministry have in the past dealt harshly with collaborators with Israel, executing many of them.

Following Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Hamas executed 18 collaborators in a single day.