Why did Hamas 'reshuffle' so many security bosses?
Hamas' Interior Ministry in Gaza has appointed several new officials to top security positions, raising questions about its motives.
The Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza announced in late September what it called an administrative reshuffle in its security institutions, a move that affected a number of senior officers in prestigious positions.
On Oct. 5, Col. Mohammed Ashour was appointed director of the Department of Interpol; Lt. Col. Hamadoun al-Qudra director of the Department to Combat Drugs; Col. Asaad al-Harthani deputy director of management and administration; and Col. Bassam Koka deputy director of the police force charged with intervention and maintaining order. On Sept. 30, Maj. Gen. Sami Nofal was appointed assistant to the director general of the National Security Forces; Mohammed Debabeche head of the General Intelligence Service; and Brig. Gen. Mohammed Khalaf director of the maritime police.
