New Hamas navy to start work soon, spokesman says (Roundup)

Middle East News

Aug 11, 2007, 15:47 GMT

Gaza City/Ramallah - The Islamist Hamas movement on Saturday completed the formation of its new navy, saying it would start its work on the shores of the Gaza Strip soon, as rival Fatah reported 20 Palestinians were wounded in the northern Gaza Strip. The new force and the Palestinian Authority marine service, loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas' of Fatah, would work together to bridge the gap left by Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip last month, a Hamas spokesman said. The 150 troops are due to run the marine police headquarters in Gaza City, with their tasks including the fighting of drug smuggling through the sea and the securing the property of Palestinian fishermen, the spokesman added. Earlier, Israeli military sources said Israeli gunboat crews were given instructions on how to deal with the Hamas force, which will operate without vessels. In recent weeks, Hamas has been setting up new security services and reorganized existing departments in an attempt to impose better control on the territory seized from Fatah. The Islamic movement established an intelligence body only a few weeks ago. Members of the Hamas-run Executive Security Force, meanwhile, wounded at least 20 Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip overnight, officials from the rival Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday. Fatah spokesman in the West Bank Fahmi al-Za'areer told reporters that Hamas militias attacked overnight dozens of people staging a spontaneous protest in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. Witnesses in the town told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that members of the Hamas executive force had on Friday night detained four senior Fatah leaders in raids on their homes. 'Things started up when Hamas forces stormed a wedding party held in the town because some people who were celebrating shot in the air from their rifles during the party,' the officials said. Hamas security forces had instructed a few weeks ago that they were determined to end people bearing arms in the streets of Gaza, including opening fire in the air during wedding parties. One of the witnesses speaking on condition of anonymity said that as soon as the four Fatah leaders were detained, dozens of women and young men took to the streets to protest their arrest. The protesting women marched towards the Hamas force headquarters in the town, the witness said, adding 'Hamas attacked the protesters,' wounding 20 of them. 'The arrests of the four Fatah leaders in the town of Bei Hanoun Friday overnight and attacking the women's demonstration and wounding 20 of them can never be justified,' al-Za'areer said. Meanwhile, Fatah sources said on Saturday that Hamas arrested 15 Fatah activists and leaders in southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis. Security forces of the Islamic Hamas movement took control of the Gaza Strip on June 14 after defeating Abbas' Fatah forces. In other developments Saturday, a Hamas commander in the West Bank, Mu'aied Bani Ouda, admitted on Palestinian state television to helping Israel to kill five militants. The confessions were aired a day after supporters of the Islamic movement took to the streets in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip to protest against the alleged killing of Ouda by security services loyal to rival Fatah. The main two Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah have been responsible for kidnappings on both sides of the territorial divide - the Fatah-run West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which fell in Hamas' hands after clashes in mid-June. According to the tape, Ouda joined Hamas in 2001. Two years later, the Israeli intelligence recruited him as a spy after arresting him and implicating him in a sexual scandal. Ouda added in the recorded programme that was dated Friday that he had guided the Israeli army to the hideaway of five Palestinian militant activists in the West Bank, enabling the soldiers to kill them. But the Ouda family has insisted that Mu'aied made the confessions under torture he was submitted to since his capture by Palestinian security forces on July 22. Ahead of the broadcast, the Hamas issued a statement condemning the contradictory reports President Mahmoud Abbas' forces had circulated on Ouda's situation. The Hamas statement warned the security agencies against putting pressure on Ouda and forcing him to claim responsibility for acts he had not committed. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Your Talkback on this Story

Note posts made on our older Talkback system will still show below. However, new posts can only be made via the new system (above). We will export the old comments to the new shortly. You can still comment as a guest on the new system but it also allows you to login using various social network and other accounts.

Other features coming soon.

Talkback

page: 1

Rick DickAug 11th, 2007 - 20:27:32

They don't have any colleges, and certainly No jobs,,,But they sure as hell have a navy. That's F-in amazing!!!!
I always said prorities come first.
What a bankrupt people.

Report this comment

Ralph MubarisAug 11th, 2007 - 20:30:29

Join the navy and see the world.
I bet they have camels in their navy. (Ships of the desert)
Oh boy this is great!!

Report this comment

airedaleAug 12th, 2007 - 08:21:47

Why does the 'New Hamas navy' use glass bottomed boats?

So they can see the 'old Hamas navy'.

Report this comment

What a jokeAug 12th, 2007 - 12:30:47

More targets for israel.
Give it to them Israel, anihalate these losers.

The glass bottom boat joke is a good one.
Here's another.

Muslim walks into doctor's with a frog growing out his head.
Doctor says 'wow, ow did that happen?'
Frog says 'Dunno,it started as apimple on my ass 5 years ago'.
HO HO Ho.

Kill em all let GOD sort them out.

Report this comment

LRRP U.S.ARMYAug 12th, 2007 - 21:14:23

Sounds like a new to bring in ARMS.......

Report this comment

Hamas SubsAug 12th, 2007 - 23:30:33

Hama's just spent millions of dollars with the russians. Of course there are technical problems such as replacing the sceen doors on the submarines.

Report this comment

The Hamas are just to peaceful???Aug 14th, 2007 - 10:42:49

Just look at ANY killing incident around the world, go ahead look at the head lines.....
It is AMAZING that most mass killing, genocide, car bombings, riots and crimes against non muslim religions one could blame it on the Islamic FuckingMentals and you would be right 99% of the time. Go ahead try it...They even are doing it to their own look at hamas and fatah.
How amazing is that???
Coincidence?? I think not.
Bankrupt sick Islamic FuckingMentalists, This is a world wide disease.
This is SICKNESS called islam needs to be eradicated.

Report this comment

It doesn't get funnier than this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Aug 31st, 2007 - 20:51:19

LOL

Report this comment

New Hamas navy to start work soon, spokesman saysAug 31st, 2007 - 20:52:23

We just need to get some new rubber bands.............

Report this comment

page: 1

Middle East

New Hamas navy to start work soon, spokesman says (Roundup)

Middle East News

Your Talkback on this Story

Talkback

Similar articles

Latest Headlines in Middle East

From Sites We Like

Latest PopEater News

Latest Cinema Blend News

Latest Tech Herald News

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print